I opened the audio feed from his private study.

It was 7:00 AM.

At this hour, the estate was usually silent.

I would have been there since five, preparing his black coffee and his daily ledger.

I clicked the play button on the live stream.

The microphone hidden in the brass desk lamp picked up the sound of heavy footsteps.

Arthur was pacing.

“Where is the morning report?” Arthur’s voice was loud, even through the cheap laptop speakers.

“I’m looking for it, boss,” Gregory replied.

I could hear Gregory rustling papers, his breathing heavy and fast.

“What do you mean, looking for it?” Arthur asked. “It should be on my desk.”

“Clara usually prints it,” Gregory said. His voice was thin and strained. “I don’t have the password to her database.”

“Then reset the password,” Arthur said.

“I tried,” Gregory said. “The IT guy says her account is locked from the root level. Only she can unlock it.”

I took a sip of my cold coffee and watched the audio waves rise and fall on my screen.

I had deleted the master keys before I walked out.