“Including her.”
The hotel manager returned with two uniformed officers and an investigator who had come after Edmund’s call to the district attorney’s office.
There were no dramatic handcuffs — only the cold, methodical work of the law: identification, security logs, physical evidence, a bride growing paler by the second.
Edith gave her statement.
The server gave his.
Security handed over the alarm logs.
The manager confirmed the pearls in Portia’s handbag.
Yvonne stepped in front of the officers.
“My daughter is distressed.
This is a private family dispute — it can be handled privately.”