Chapter 4 - THE WATCH THAT NEVER LEFT THE ROOM
The missing watch was found at 4:12 a.m.
Not in Clara's locker.
Not in her apartment.
Not in her pockets.
It was inside the private office of the Sapphire Lounge's manager.
Henderson.
The discovery came after an independent investigator reviewed footage from the hallway outside the VIP section.
The cameras inside the booth had been disabled.
But the corridor cameras were working.
They showed Henderson entering the booth while Enzo was in the washroom.
He remained there for forty-three seconds.
Then left carrying something concealed beneath his jacket.
When questioned, Henderson claimed he'd been moving the watch for safekeeping.
But the explanation didn't survive scrutiny.
The watch had been hidden inside a locked drawer.
And Henderson had never told Enzo he'd taken it.
Enzo stared at the recovered watch.
The object that had started everything.
A piece of platinum and machinery.
Worth more than most people earned in years.
And because he'd believed it was stolen, he'd humiliated and assaulted an innocent woman.
He looked toward his security chief.
“Why did Henderson do it?”
The man hesitated.
“We're investigating.”
Enzo closed his eyes.
For the first time, he understood that someone had manipulated him.
But that didn't erase his responsibility.
Henderson hadn't forced him to strike Clara.
May you like
He'd made that choice himself.
And now he would have to live with it.
