The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 2008

"Listen, a guy working for Martin made a call to the vice president of a film studio four days ago. The call lasted seven minutes," She said, unfolding the mystery like a seasoned detective. "That very night, the VP phoned Esther. Now, I can't say for sure what they discussed, but right after that call, Esther had someone tamper with a car."

Louisa's eyes widened in disbelief. "You mean to say, Martin had this done? All because of that ingrate Serena? He wanted to get back at her, so he quietly had his goons do the dirty work to smear the Collins family's name?"

"But Martin's not the type to stoop so low," Arabella chimed in, her voice steady, exuding confidence in Martin's character. "Sure, he's got a soft spot for Serena, but he knows what shouldn't be done. My guess is that one of his lackeys got bought off."

"So, what you're saying is someone paid off Martin's guy, hoping to pin the blame on Martin?" Kenneth asked, visibly shaken. "That must be someone big, to be able to sling mud at Martin. How could he just take this lying down?"

"Who could it be? Could it be an enemy of both Martin and us?" Louisa speculated.

"Maybe it's Serena's enemy." Arabella pondered. "Right now, Serena's biggest support is Martin. If he goes down, it's like clipping her wings, right?"

"What do you mean?" Kenneth was puzzled. "Who would have a grudge against Serena big enough to take down Martin, and why would they want to clip her wings?"

"Maybe this person doesn't have a beef with Serena directly, but with her biological parents," Arabella suggested. "Remember, her parents were leaders within the organization. Who's the big boss? Could it be the mastermind behind the fire?"

"So, who in the world is behind all this?" Louisa sighed, overwhelmed by the complexity of the situation. "It's not Esther, not the film studio folks, not Martin. Who else could want to hurt us."

"If Martin's guy was bribed, we just need to track who he was in touch with before calling the film studio VP, and if he's had any hefty cash infusions. That might lead us to some fresh leads."

Arabella paused for effect, then continued, "Plus, if Erik and Martha were involved in the organization, there might be some shady money that needed laundering through the studio. We just need to dig into the people connected to the studio to find our clues."

"Bella, you're brilliant!" Louisa couldn't help but exclaim. "Thank goodness for you. With this, it looks like we'll get to the bottom of this mess sooner rather than later."