Page 133 of It Starts With A No

“How did she get the key?” Seth asked.

“Mr. E gave it to her.” Clary sat next to Seth on the couch. “He sent her over a week before I arrived to let the maids in and set the place up for me.”

Detective Murphy nodded.

“I didn’t think she’d kept a copy. I assumed she gave me the original key.” Clary ran her hand through her hair. “Tamara was also the one who got my car ready.” She glanced over at Seth. “Could she have had something to do with why my car stalled?”

“The repair center says that was a battery problem,” Seth said.

Clary nodded slowly.

“Did Andrea tell you about the mannequin head?” Seth asked the detective.

“Yes, she said the face was slashed, and the hair cut.”

Seth pushed his phone toward Detective Murphy. “My brother found where it was mailed from. I’m sure you can take it from here.”

The detective peered at the phone. “Should I ask how your brother got this information?”

Seth shrugged a shoulder. “He called and asked.”

Detective Murphy’s head bobbed up and down while he jotted down the information.

Clary crossed her legs. “Why were they all suddenly after the watch? It’s been sitting in my office all along. Tamara knew the passcode to the door. She could’ve taken it any time.”

Detective Murphy flipped his notebook closed. “Mr. Eolenfeld—Hugh Eolenfeld—was worried you’d complain to his grandfather if he were to just take it. And the person who modified the watch told him to be careful with it, so he didn’t want to snatch it and end up damaging the chip.”

Clary rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Hugh probably left it in there, thinking he might record some dirt about me.”

The corners of Detective Murphy’s lips turned down. “Possibly,” he said. “Mr. Lennic and Miss Chambers knew of the existence of the recordings, and they suspected the recording device was still in the office because Mr. Eolenfeld kept showing up. But they didn’t know the recording device was a watch, until Hugh Eolenfeld made a huge deal about wanting one of the watches.”

“Yesterday, when I wasn’t in the office.”

Seth brought an ankle to his knee. “But why was Hugh suddenly so desperate to get the watch?”

“Because the report from the independent review team is out,” Clary said. “None of them was explicitly involved, but the boys’ club has been trying to get me to bury it and move on. I refused.” She shook her head. “I guess that’s why they were all so desperate to get the recordings. Either to protect themselves or blackmail others.”

The detective nodded. “And since you weren’t there, Tamara let Neil in. The two of them searched your office, but none of the watches appeared to be anything other than a watch. That was when she recalled you taking a watch.”

That explained why Tamara kept texting her yesterday. She wasn’t worried that Clary needed something from work. She was checking to make sure Clary wouldn’t be coming to the office.

“But Clary didn’t have the watch,” Seth said. “It was with me.” He stretched his arm across the back of the couch. “Hugh showed up here, demanding to see you.”

Clary brows rose. “How did he find out about this place?”

“The watch has a GPS tracker. He thought you took it. Once we threw him out, Oliver tried calling you, but you didn’t answer your phone.”

“I was having a bubble bath. After that, Andrea and I went down for hot chocolate and I forgot all about my phone.”

“I went to the hotel, and the front desk swore that you never checked in.” Seth glanced at the detective. “Then you told me she went home, so we made our way there.”

Clary continued to give her account of what happened. “I’m not sure what exactly happened while I was over the railing, though.”

“Your assistant tried to shoot my ex-partner.” Detective Murphy rubbed a hand over his mouth. He opened his mouth, then shut it. “Anyway, the cast-iron skillet blocked the bullet, then Andrea tackled Tamara. Oliver Anderson grabbed the gun, but Andrea had it covered.” The detective drew a deep breath through his nose. “Good day.”

Clary arched a brow.

“The good guys won. None of the good people died.”

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