Part 2: The Watchmaker Who Repaired a Dead Man's Alibi

Emeric and Wilhelmina reviewed Cornelius's household staff records, searching for anyone with sufficient access and motive to properly send such a significant, anonymous warning.

"His housekeeper," Wilhelmina said, studying employment records carefully. "Beatrix Sorel. She's worked for the Ashby family for over fifteen years, remaining employed even after Cornelius's *****, managing the estate under the executor's continued supervision."

They visited Beatrix that same afternoon, her composed demeanor cracking slightly under Wilhelmina's careful, probing questions about the watch and its mysterious delivery.

"I don't know anything about a watch," Beatrix insisted initially, though her nervous, evasive body language suggested otherwise.

"Ms. Sorel," Wilhelmina said gently, "we're not accusing you of any wrongdoing. If you've been protecting information out of genuine fear, we simply need your honest cooperation now, to properly ensure justice is finally served."

Beatrix's composure finally crumbled beneath the combination of gentle persuasion and accumulating evidence. "I found the watch shortly after Mr. Ashby's *****," she admitted. "I'd overheard him mention something important hidden inside it, weeks before he died, though I never fully understood what he meant at the time."

"Why didn't you bring it forward immediately?" Emeric asked.

"I was frightened," Beatrix said, voice trembling. "Mr. Thorncastle visited frequently after Cornelius's *****, always watching me carefully, as though suspecting I knew something significant. I didn't trust local authorities either, worried Mr. Thorncastle's considerable influence might simply bury proper investigation entirely."

"So you sent it anonymously to a watchmaker instead," Wilhelmina said, understanding dawning. "Hoping someone impartial might properly discover the hidden evidence, without directly implicating yourself."

"Precisely," Beatrix confirmed, relief evident beneath her lingering nervousness. "I apologize for the indirect approach, though I genuinely feared for my own safety, given Mr. Thorncastle's evident concern about what Cornelius might have properly documented."

With Beatrix's testimony corroborating the discovered evidence, Wilhelmina secured sufficient grounds for formally questioning Reginald Thorncastle directly, his composed, wealthy demeanor finally cracking under sustained, focused pressure.

"Cornelius discovered inconsistencies in our joint accounts," Reginald admitted eventually, visible panic evident beneath his crumbling composure. "I never intended murder, Detective. We argued fiercely, and during the confrontation, he simply lost his footing near the staircase. I panicked afterward, staged the scene to appear accidental, rather than immediately calling for help."

"That's still manslaughter, at minimum," Wilhelmina said firmly. "Possibly considerably more, depending on further investigation into your exact actions that evening."

Reginald's confession, combined with the substantial financial evidence and Beatrix's corroborating testimony, provided more than sufficient grounds for formal arrest, finally closing Cornelius Ashby's case after eight months of frustrating, unresolved uncertainty.

to be continued... ⌚⚖️