"Grace Ballard's real name is Grace Butler, and her mother was Madeleine Butler, isn't that right, Colonel Uranga?" William asked, staring intently at the one-eyed colonel, who was just about to retrieve his revolver.
"I... I don't know," Uranga replied, clearly uneasy under William's sharp gaze. After a moment of thought, he added, "Twenty-six years ago, Marco did have a mistress named Madeleine Butler. But as far as I know, when Madeleine died during childbirth, the baby was a boy."
William shook his head. "No, no. It's easy to verify Madeleine's death certificate. But that child? There's no record of his death. And there's only one scenario in which Marco would abandon a child who had lost their mother."
"A girl?" This time, the others didn't need William to say more. Everyone quickly connected the dots.
They now understood why Grace had gone on a murderous rampage. If Marco, Toby, Susie, and Charles all died, she would become the sole direct heir of the Cannes family.
"But she was just an illegitimate child," Nick questioned in confusion.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but in France, the inheritance law doesn't differentiate between legitimate and illegitimate children," William explained. "As long as Grace was Marco's biological child, she had the right to an equal share of the inheritance."
Everyone turned to Detective Louis Delaware, the sole Frenchman in the room, for confirmation.
Louis shrugged. "We're more... liberal about such matters. To avoid family disputes over inheritance, this equal division law was accepted a long time ago."
"Alright, since the case is solved, and it's already late, I won't keep you any longer. Officers will come by tomorrow morning to take your statements," Louis said as he prepared to leave.
But before stepping out of the conference room, he turned back and issued a warning. "Until we give you clearance, do not leave France."
As the French police exited, Nick scratched his head in confusion. "But this is Monte Carlo. Since when did it become part of France?"
"You have to understand, Nick," William said, patting him on the shoulder. "To the French, Monaco is basically their backyard."
Nick was about to accept William's invitation for a late-night snack when Audrey, still shaken and wary of William, quickly interjected, "No, no, no. We're not hungry. We've had a long day and need to rest. Goodnight, Mr. Devonshire."
Before Nick could protest, Audrey dragged him away, leaving William behind with Vikram and Colonel Uranga, who also looked eager to leave.
However, before they could make their excuses, William casually said, "Come on, let's find a good spot. We'll eat and talk." His tone turned icy. "I don't like being refused."
Faced with William's subtle threat and the looming presence of his security team, the two exchanged nervous glances. Resigned, they followed William out of the hotel.
The group arrived at the Monte Carlo Casino Hotel and sat down for a late-night meal. While William ate with gusto, Vikram and Uranga could barely touch their food.
Half an hour passed before Vikram cautiously broke the silence. "Mr. Devonshire, with statements to give tomorrow, perhaps we should all get some rest?"
"Hmm," William nodded, then casually asked, "By the way, Vikram, do you know why Susie went to the beach?"
"I... how would I know that?" Vikram stammered, his composure starting to crumble.
"Oh, is that so?" William's piercing gaze bore into him. "Then why is it that the place you and Grace went shopping is only a few hundred meters from where Susie died? And why did you conveniently fall asleep on the couch as soon as you entered the store?"
"Mr. Devonshire, it's just a coincidence!" Vikram insisted, his voice trembling.
Narrowing his eyes at the sweating Vikram, William continued, "I've also heard that an Indian chieftain once promised Susie her freedom in exchange for marrying her and making her a queen. Vikram, do you know which chieftain that might be?"
Before Vikram could respond, William calmly pulled a silver revolver from under the table. Uranga instinctively reached for his own gun but found his holster empty.
William spun the cylinder of the revolver, ejecting six bullets onto the table. He reloaded a single round, spun the cylinder again, and snapped it shut with a flick of his wrist.
Pointing the gun at Vikram's forehead, William pulled the trigger.
Click.
The gun didn't fire, but Vikram collapsed onto the floor in terror. A dark, wet stain spread across the front of his pants.
"Seriously? You pissed yourself?" William grimaced in disgust. "What a coward."
Standing up, William aimed the revolver again and pulled the trigger three more times in rapid succession.
Click.Click.Click.
The room fell silent.
"Unbelievable," William muttered, shaking his head. "Your luck is insane."
He opened the cylinder, let the bullet drop into his palm, and smirked. "Let's keep going."
Re-loading the revolver, William spun the cylinder again. Before he could even aim it, Vikram broke down, falling to his knees and begging. "It was me! It was me!"
"Good," William said with a satisfied smile as he sat back down, placing the revolver on the table beside his utensils. He sipped his wine leisurely. "Continue."
Vikram hesitated, his breathing erratic. Seeing this, William calmly raised the revolver again and fired a shot into the floor near Vikram's head.
Bang!
"Oops," William said nonchalantly. "Missed. But don't worry, we've got five more rounds. Plenty of time to play."
The sound of the gunshot shattered Vikram's resolve. Trembling, he confessed, "I... I arranged for Susie to meet at the beach. I deliberately took Grace shopping nearby, then pretended to fall asleep so she could sneak out and kill Susie."
"And why did Grace turn on you in the end?" William asked, his voice devoid of emotion.
"I... I told Grace that she was Marco's daughter," Vikram admitted, his voice barely a whisper.
"Good," William said with a smirk. "I hear you're worth close to a billion dollars. Looks like we'll have plenty to discuss in a bit."
Turning his attention to Uranga, William asked, "Colonel, was Grace's plan your doing?"
"Yes," Uranga admitted without hesitation, raising his maimed left hand. "But you're mistaken if you think I did it because of my hand, my eye, or even Madeleine.
"Twenty-six years ago, Marco spent over $30,000 on me, paying for my treatment. He even gave me a 0.5% share in a gold mine. Saving Marco was my choice, and I held no grudge against him back then—not even when Madeleine went with him."
Uranga's tone darkened as he glanced at Vikram with contempt. "But two years ago, this coward came to me with a secret his father revealed on his deathbed.
"Before Grace was conceived, Madeleine was already pregnant—with my child. Tell me, Devonshire, should I not have killed Marco for that?"
------------------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get early access to chapters by joining my Patre@n!
Find me at: patre@n*com/Mutter
You can read each novel for $5 or get them all for just $15.
Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]