Chapter 1 - THE BAG BLAIR FEARED.
Officer Wright stepped between Blair and Riley beneath the gold “SM” monogram. Riley remained alert, her brown bag across her shoulder and a faint red smear near her cheek.
“Open it,” she said. “Record everything.”
Inside were an old deed, a recorder, a payroll ledger and a sealed wedding contract.
The deed stated that forty percent of Sterling Manor belonged to the cooks, drivers, housekeepers and gardeners who rebuilt it after a fire. Riley’s late mother, Elena Hayes, was trustee for their descendants.
Blair pointed at Riley. “Her mother was a maid. This is extortion.”
“My mother cleaned this house because your family stole the shares that should have freed her.”
Wright played the recorder.
Blair’s voice filled the foyer: “Get Riley out before she shows anyone the deed.”
A man replied, “If she opens that bag, the wedding cannot legally continue.”
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Every guest turned toward Mason Sterling, the groom.
The voice was his.
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