Chapter 4 - The Dangerous Trade
The opportunity to get a sample of the drug came sooner than Claire expected. Two days later, Vanessa ordered Claire to clear the nightstands in the master bedroom while she was out at a spa appointment.
While dusting Vanessa’s private bathroom, Claire found a small plastic syringe on the counter, still wet with a few drops of a clear, thick liquid. Vanessa had evidently just prepared Noah’s afternoon dose before leaving.
Heart pounding, Claire pulled a small, sterile plastic vial she had borrowed from Liam out of her apron pocket. With steady hands, she carefully scraped the residue from the syringe into the vial. It was barely a fraction of a milliliter, but Liam had assured her it would be enough for a chemical analysis.
Just as she capped the vial and hid it in her uniform, she heard footsteps approaching the bedroom. It wasn't Vanessa—it was Mrs. Gable, the head housekeeper, a strict woman who had worked for the Whitman family for twenty years and blindly worshiped Vanessa.
"What are you doing in here, Claire?" Mrs. Gable asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously as she stood in the doorway.
"I was just wiping down the counters as Mrs. Whitman requested, ma'am," Claire said, keeping her voice level despite the adrenaline coursing through her veins.
Mrs. Gable walked into the bathroom, her eyes scanning the counter. She noticed the syringe had been moved slightly. "Mrs. Whitman manages the young master's medical needs personally. You are never to touch her medical instruments. Do you understand?"
"Of course. I was only cleaning around them. I apologize."
"Finish up and get downstairs. The master is returning from London tonight, and the house must be immaculate."
Grant Whitman was coming home. Claire realized this was her window of opportunity. If she could get the chemical analysis results from Liam before Grant left for his next trip, she could expose Vanessa directly to him.
May you like
That night, she delivered the sample to Liam. "How long will it take?" she asked desperately.
"I have to run it through a mass spectrometer secretly after my shift," Liam said, looking worried. "Give me forty-eight hours, Claire. And please, stay safe. Don't let that woman see that you're onto her."
