She didn't even touch the soup since it was placed there. As everybody knew she was in charge of Queeny's and Bella's meals, normally, no one else would put a hand to the ingredients she reserved for them.
Then how did this happen?
Gina was thrown into a tizzy.
Queeny, however, was not agitated or anything. She took a close look at the soup, then summoned Donald here to confirm that the meat he delivered was indeed the good ones.
After that, she turned around to face the group of servants.
"Other than Gina, who else has worked in the kitchen recently?"
The servants looked at each other at a loss.
Right afterward, three maids stepped forward.
Queeny looked at them and asked, "Are you all cooks?"
The three shook their heads. Due to fear or perhaps shyness, they all kept their heads low.
In a timid voice, one of them answered, "No, Miss Horton. We're Gina's help. We only wash vegetables and run some errands."
Queeny arched her eyebrow.
"Then have you ever touched the ingredients Gina prepared?"
"No."
The three denied in unison while shaking their heads.
Queeny did not speak.
Just then, the younger one among the three maids said, "Honestly, no one else can touch the ingredients that Gina has kept, because she always locks away the ones that are precious. We don't have the key, so we can't even lay a finger in those ingredients."
As soon as she said that, Gina also explained, "That's true, Miss Horton. Since there are so many servants in the castle, I'm afraid that some of them might 'help themselves' to the food here and disgrace everyone working here. Thus, I always lock the precious ingredients in the cabinet, and only I have the key."
Raising a brow, Queeny reached out and said, "Show me the key."
Gina quickly took out an iron-grey key and handed it over to her with both hands.
Queeny took the key and scrutinized it only to find that it was just an ordinary key. In this case, the lock must be a mere ordinary one.
Even so, it had been confirmed that without the key, no one could access the soup.
After all, who would take such high risks to smash the lock just for some soup?
As she thought of this, Queeny's eyes flickered with pensiveness.
But Bella's patience had already run out.
She snapped, "Queeny, what are you waiting for? Isn't it obvious?
"The meat Donald sent here is the best kind. And only Gina has the key to the cabinet. Now it has been swapped, who else could the thief be if it's not her?"
Queeny looked up at Bella.
Her eyes were chilling.
Bella caught her gaze and was somehow unnerved. At once, she quieted down.
Queeny then looked back at Gina.
"Is there a surveillance camera in the kitchen?"
Gina was a little dazed.
Then, she hurriedly nodded and said, "Yes."
"Show me."
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