The atmosphere in the drawing room was charged with suspicion as Evelyn Greene paced in front of the gathered household members.
Each person's eyes darted nervously, wondering who among them could be responsible for Amelia Whitmore's disappearance.Evelyn stopped in front of Lord Whitmore, who sat with
clenched fists. "Lord Whitmore, you knew about the blackmail, didn't
you?" she asked, her voice firm.
Lord Whitmore looked up, his expression wavering between
shock and guilt. "Yes, I did. Amelia confided in me. She was being
blackmailed over a gambling debt she incurred secretly," he admitted
reluctantly.
The revelation hung heavy in the room. Amelia's troubles had
been deeper than anyone suspected. Evelyn turned to the others. "Who else
knew about this?" she demanded.
Mrs. Hughes hesitated before speaking up. "I overheard
Amelia arguing with someone in the library the night before she disappeared. It
sounded heated, but I couldn't make out who it was," she confessed.
Evelyn's gaze turned to Mr. Harris, the loyal butler.
"Did you see anyone in the garden that night?" she asked pointedly.
Mr. Harris shifted uncomfortably. "I saw Miss Amelia
and Mr. Charles arguing near the fountain. She was upset, but I didn't hear
what they were saying," he admitted.
Evelyn pieced together the puzzle. Amelia's argument with
Charles, the blackmail, and the mysterious voices in the garden began to form a
clearer picture. She knew she was close to solving the mystery.
"Where is Charles now?" Evelyn asked abruptly.
"He left town the morning after Amelia
disappeared," Lord Whitmore replied with a grimace.
Evelyn nodded, her mind racing with possibilities. She
needed to find Charles and confront him with the evidence. But just as she was
about to leave, a commotion outside caught everyone's attention.
A constable entered, accompanied by a disheveled man with
wild eyes. "I found him lurking near the estate. He claims he has
information about Miss Amelia," the constable announced.
The man, a former associate of the blackmailer, revealed
that Amelia's disappearance was orchestrated to force Lord Whitmore to pay off
her debts. The scheme involved Charles, who had fallen into desperate
circumstances and agreed to cooperate. When Amelia refused to go along, Charles
panicked and fled, leaving her fate uncertain.
Evelyn wasted no time in apprehending Charles, who confessed
tearfully to his part in the plot. With the truth exposed, Amelia's whereabouts
were still unknown, but Evelyn vowed to continue searching until she found her.
As Evelyn left the estate that evening, the fog that had
shrouded the mystery began to lift. The Enigma of the Vanished Heiress was
solved, but for Evelyn Greene, the detective, the search for justice and
closure was far from over.