Page 6 of Hotel Mallois

"If necessary, we'll notify the police, don't worry. Meanwhile, I've made sure you're assigned a new room with the best views, and you can enjoy the hotel facilities at your discretion, on the house. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to make sure this incident is resolved as soon as possible."

Katherine stands up just as Preston Bradford adds some words, but she can't tell if they're of gratitude or more complaints because she leaves him sitting on the sofa and heads to the elevators to go straight to the security room.

"Please tell me you have something because if I have to deal with that man again, I might lose it," she growls as soon as she enters the room.

Mike, who asked the security guard to take a break while he checks the footage for anything that might helpthem discover what happened, turns toward the entrance with a mysterious smile that immediately calms Katherine.

"Got anything?" she asks, narrowing her blue eyes.

"I do, and you won't like it," Mike responds, pulling up a chair for his boss and friend to sit beside him.

"Don't tell me it was really Jodie Sinclair," Katherine says, not understanding why it causes her such disappointment when she doesn't even know her.

"Sinclair? No," Mike firmly denies, "Sinclair's just a poor cleaning lady they're trying to pin this on."

"Then?" Katherine asks with a mix of relief and fury beginning to course through her veins.

"Look at this carefully."

Mike shows her the photo of the stolen watch that Preston Bradford himself provided.

"This guy isn't just a liar, he's stupid," Mike says, leaving Katherine bewildered.

The hotel owner observes the photograph and then the images Mike shows her on the screen.

"This is Preston leaving his room before the watch was stolen, right?" he asks her, and she nods, controlling her anxiety to finally know what happened. "And this here is Sinclair entering some time later."

Mike advances the footage.

"And here Sinclair leaves, and an hour later Bradford returns and reports the watch missing."

"You're making me nervous, Mike," Katherine says, crossing her arms.

Mike smiles, unable to contain himself.

"Okay," he concedes without losing his smile and returns to the first image.

"The key to everything is right here, the moment Preston leaves the room the first time, because if we pause the image and zoom in..."

Mike does exactly what he says, and Katherine's mouth slowly drops open.

"I can't believe it, is it what I think it is?" she asks tensely.

"It is. Preston Bradford was wearing the watch when he left the room, so neither Jodie Sinclair nor anyone else in this hotel could have stolen it," Mike assures.

"Then why the hell did he report it?" Katherine frowns.

"Well, I can only think of two possibilities: either he's confused or he's faking it to collect insurance. Those watches cost an arm and a leg," he says, shrugging.

"What a son of a bitch," Katherine says, standing up abruptly. "He wasn't wearing it when I talked to him, which means he hid it afterward to claim it was stolen."

"I'll go with you," Mike says, standing up.

"No need, I can throw this guy out of my hotel by myself," she says angrily.

"I know, I'm not saying it for your safety, I'm saying it for his."

Mike Foster stands six feet three inches tall, and with his athletic build and perpetually serious expression, he usually commands respect, but now, walking one step behind Katherine Taylor toward the manager's office where they've summoned Preston Bradford, she's the scarier one.

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