I looked at him warily.
This was exactly what I had been trying to conceal.
Most likely, they knew that Theron stayed overnight at my place and were simply watching. There were no other options.
"I have a suspicion that this is precisely where Theron moved the original pendant."
I exhaled.
A suspicion. Not proof.
"No, you are mistaken," I said calmly.
I saw how Theron tensed. Something in him was running through outcomes. I hoped he would not arrive at the correct one.
"If that is so," the agent continued, "you would not mind voluntarily showing us what is there?"
I knew this was exactly where it was heading.
"There are personal belongings there. I do not think they are worth your attention," I replied.
"I doubt it," he smiled too smugly. "It is easier to show. And then, I give you my word, I will leave you alone."
He was certain he had driven Theron into a corner.
He was mistaken.
"I will show it. But on one condition."
Theron had been silent the entire time. Simply watching.
"Of course," the agent agreed at once.
"Only you. And one witness. Someone who will confirm that there is no pendant there."
"Certainly," he was already almost celebrating.
"And one more thing," I stood up and took my bag. "The contents remain confidential. Any leak—and I will not remain silent or inactive."
"Fine," doubt flickered across his face.
He was beginning to understand that perhaps he had made a mistake.
But he could no longer stop. Otherwise, he would still have obtained a warrant. It was only a matter of time.
"Stop."
Theron's voice was hard.
It sliced through the air.
"I'm coming with you."
"You shouldn't," I said immediately.
"Why is that?" he was tense. "If we're talking about the pendant, I want to personally see how our persistent agent is disappointed."
"You do not need to be there for that," I answered quickly. "There are only personal belongings there."
I did not look at Theron.
But I knew that if he went, everything could collapse.
"I'm going. And this is not up for discussion."
He looked at me with a fury I had seen only once before. Back when I was being interrogated. Even then, he had not been like this.
"You cannot force her to agree," the agent interjected with a sneer.
He was irritating. Even more than Theron at that moment.
"You do not need to be present there," I said, not backing down.
Theron silently took my coat and helped me put it on. Carefully. Almost tenderly. Then he put on his own.
The contrast was infuriating. Rage. Precise movements.
He leaned toward my ear and whispered so the agent could not hear:
"Do not resist. I am going."
It was not a request. And not a warning.
A threat.
I ran through options. Quickly. One after another. How to leave him in the office. How to shut all this down.
Nothing. Everything was too calm. Too even.
At the exit, Hilda handed him some notes. He glanced through them briefly and shoved them into his pocket. His face became even harder. The air around him seemed to thicken.
"We're taking my car," he said curtly and pulled me by the hand.
I did not resist. I got in. He sat beside me.
"Do you want to tell me what's there?" he said insistently, leaning closer. "Before we arrive."
The phone rang.
I almost exhaled.
Amy.
He rejected the call.
I froze.
"Talk," he said.
"There are personal belongings there," I replied calmly. "I don't understand why you need to go. I have a personal life. And personal space."
I looked at him. "Don't you think you're going too far right now?"
I did not raise my voice. And it was precisely this calmness of his that frightened me the most.
The phone vibrated again. Amy again.
He did not answer. Just looked at me. Closely. Studying. Catching details. Pauses. Intonations. Trying to understand whether I was lying or not.
"You'd better answer," I said, more to change the subject.
He glanced briefly at the screen and rejected the call again.
Why wasn't he answering?
Was this situation more important to him? Or did he simply not want to talk to her in front of me?
He leaned back, quickly typed a message to someone, and put the phone away.
We drove to the bank in complete silence.
He no longer scrolled through the news, did not get distracted. Just sat and stared ahead.
Inside, I prayed that Amy would distract him. That he would answer. Turn around. Go to her.
But he put the phone into the inner pocket of his jacket and did not touch it again.
It seemed my attempts to divert him from this matter only intensified his interest.
A mistake. I should have reacted dryly. Not set conditions for the agent in front of him.
I miscalculated.
The agent was already waiting for us at the entrance. I looked around.
"The witness?" I reminded him.
"We'll take any bank employee," he replied. "Neutral. With a non-disclosure obligation."
I merely nodded and went inside.
This bank was simpler, not of Theron's level. I took a ticket before approaching the counter. The agent clearly did not like that—he immediately went off to explain something to the manager.
"Are you sure you don't want to tell me what's there?" Theron pressed again, crossing his arms over his chest.
"It will be a pity if I disappoint you," I answered calmly. "There is nothing special there. A personal item. I simply didn't want to lose it."
I was still trying to dampen his interest.
"So we have nothing to worry about?" a hint of playfulness flickered in his voice.
"Believe me, you—first and foremost," I said. And that was the truth.
The agent approached us.
"Let's go."
He led us into the vault area.
I took a small toy out of the inner pocket of my bag. Inside was a key.
Theron looked at me questioningly. I do not know what surprised him more—the toy itself or the method of storage.
We waited until the door to the room closed. I took out the box, turned the key, and turned it toward the agent and the bank employee.
The lid lifted and partially blocked the view.
Theron stepped to the side, trying to see better.
I held it off until the very last moment. And I understood—only he would win now.
Inside lay a box resembling a watch case.
"For the last time, I offer you a voluntary confession," the agent said, almost radiant.
I remained silent.
He opened the box.
And froze. Just like Theron.
Inside lay a tie. The very one. Left behind that night.
I still did not know whether it was an alibi or a confession.
But it was proof. Proof of his presence with me that night.
I saw how Theron struggled to restrain a smile.
"This?" the agent pulled out the tie and unfolded it.
"Yes," I replied. "Theron's tie. Left at my place on the night when the head of UNEST was killed."
There it was. Exactly what he had been after.
Theron was pleased. He tried to hide it, but I noticed. His eyes were shining. That is how one looks at a find that has been sought for a long time.
"You mean to say…" the agent clearly did not want to accept this.
"Yes. This is direct proof that Mr. Theron's hands are clean. That night he was with me."
"Perhaps he is not directly guilty," the agent did not give up. "But indirectly…"
He fell silent, put the tie back into the box, and headed for the exit.
"Do not forget," I reminded him, "to leave me alone."
He did not respond. He simply left. The bank employee followed.
As soon as the door closed, Theron was smiling openly.
I took out the tie and held it out to him.
"There is no point in hiding it now. Take it."
He abruptly pulled me toward him by the hand and kissed me. Greedily. Without pauses.
He grabbed me by the hips and sat me on the table so he would not have to lean down. He was celebrating. It was felt in every movement, in every touch.
I had played into his hands perfectly. Even better than he had expected.
I pressed my palm against his chest, keeping distance between us.
I pretended that nothing special had happened.
But I understood—it had. And I had played on his side. Consciously.
I was becoming his pawn. Whether I liked it or not no longer mattered.
He put the tie back into the box.
"Keep guarding your personal item," he said with a smile.
He lifted me off the table. I closed the box and put it back in place.
Then he took my hand and led me to the exit. In the car, he was messaging someone on his phone. I did not look closely. Inside, that familiar bitterness was rising. Unpleasant. Sticky. The kind I hate and always try to suppress.
When we pulled up to the office and got out, Amy was already waiting for us.
Of course.
Why not earlier. Why exactly now.
"I'll get back to work," I said to Theron and inclined my head slightly, demonstrating a businesslike attitude toward him.
His satisfaction gave way to surprise. I did not wait for an answer. I walked past his princess toward the elevator and quickly pressed the call button.