Chapter 4: The Giant Game of Clue (Extended)
Nene gathered her workers early the next morning. The shop felt different—quieter, heavier, like the walls themselves were listening. Bolts of fabric lay untouched, and half-finished dresses hung like unanswered questions.
She stood in front of them, arms folded, trying to keep her voice steady.
“Where were you last night?” she asked calmly, though her heart was pounding so loudly she could almost hear it.
The question lingered in the air.
Samson shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I… I went home early,” he said, avoiding her eyes. “I wasn’t feeling well.”
Mama crossed her arms tightly. “I was here, as always,” she replied, but a moment later added, “Well, I stepped out for a bit… just to get something.” Her words didn’t quite line up.
Gloria forced a small smile, but her fingers kept fidgeting with the edge of her apron. “I locked up before I left,” she said quickly, almost too quickly.
Nene studied each of them carefully.
Something was off.
All of them seemed nervous—but nervous didn’t mean guilty.
Still, there was no proof.
No missing keys. No broken locks. No witnesses.
Just disappearing dresses… and growing suspicion.
By the end of the questioning, Nene felt more confused than before. Every answer led to more questions. Every glance, every hesitation made her doubt everything—and everyone.
That night, she sat alone in the shop, staring at the empty rack where her best designs once hung. The silence pressed in on her.
She felt hopeless.
But then, slowly, an idea formed.
Simple. Quiet. Effective.
CCTV.
If words couldn’t reveal the truth, maybe actions would.
The next day, Nene installed small cameras around the shop—one near the entrance, another facing the storage room, and a third hidden in a corner that overlooked the workspace. She didn’t tell anyone. She just acted like everything was normal.
And then… she waited.
The first day passed.
Nothing unusual.
The second day came and went.
Still nothing.
By the third day, doubt began creeping back in. Maybe she had been wrong. Maybe it wasn’t anyone inside. Maybe the dresses were disappearing in some way she couldn’t understand.
Or maybe…
Whoever was doing it was simply being more careful.
On the third night, just as Nene was about to give up, she checked the footage again.
At first, everything looked ordinary.
But then she noticed something small.
A shadow moving where no one should have been.
Nene leaned closer to the screen, her heartbeat quickening.
Maybe… she hadn’t been wrong after all.
