What the Key Revealed
The housekeeper, who was always punctual, was late today.
"Madam, I'm so sorry… dinner isn't ready yet. Please don't be upset with me…"
"But this time, there was no helping it. I waited downstairs for over half an hour, and no one swiped in. I even called Mr. Gregory, but he didn't answer. That's why I'm late."
My hand froze mid-motion as I was changing shoes, and a frown creased my brow.
"Lydia," I said, "didn't I have Richard give you the access card?"
Lydia Pendel froze, her face blank.
"Access card? Mr. Gregory never gave me one."
"Never?" I repeated.
"Yes," she said, wiping the sweat from her forehead, her voice careful. "All this past month, I've been sneaking in whenever another resident opened the door, or calling Mr. Gregory so he could let me in.
"Today, Mr. Gregory didn't answer at all, so I was stuck downstairs, feeling helpless…"
That was strange. Because over the past month, the electronic lock on the front gate had clearly recorded swipes from that backup card.