My Greedy Cousin Accused Me Of Stealing My Grandma’s Jewels During The Will Reading. She Had No Idea I Was The One Who Set Up The Hidden Cameras 6 Months Ago. Who’s The Real Thief Now?

“We all know who’s about to get everything, don’t we?” Veronica’s perfectly manicured finger pointed directly at me.

“Sweet little Melanie, the devoted granddaughter who just happened to be here every single week.”

“Veronica, sit down,” My mother said sharply.

“No, Aunt Janet, I won’t sit down! Not when we all know what’s been happening.” Veronica turned back to the room.

“Has anyone else noticed that Grandma’s valuable pieces started disappearing about 6 months ago? The pearl necklace Grandpa gave her for their 50th anniversary? Gone.” My stomach dropped.

I knew about the missing items. Grandma had mentioned them to me, seeming more puzzled than upset.

I’d helped her look for them, assuming she’d misplaced them. Uncle Robert stood up, backing his daughter.

“Veronica’s right. I’ve been thinking the same thing but didn’t want to say anything. Melanie was the only one with regular access to the house.” He continued his accusations.

“She had keys. She knew the alarm code. She was here alone with Mother every Sunday.”

“You can’t be serious,” Wesley said, pushing off from the wall.

“Mel would never steal from Grandma.”

“Wouldn’t she?” Aunt Priscilla chimed in, suddenly interested in the drama.

“I heard from my book club that someone saw Melanie at that pawn shop downtown—the expensive one that deals in estate jewelry.” That was true, but twisted.

I’d gone there with Grandma to have some pieces appraised for insurance purposes. But explaining that now would sound like an excuse.

“She doesn’t deserve a penny!” Veronica declared, her voice ringing with conviction.

“She’s been stealing from Grandma for months, probably longer, playing the devoted granddaughter while robbing her blind.” The room erupted.

Uncle Robert nodded vigorously. “We should contest the will. Mother wasn’t in her right mind if she left everything to a thief.”

“How dare you!” My mother said, standing to face her brother.

“Melanie loved Mother more than any of you!”

“Love doesn’t explain missing jewelry, Janet,” Veronica shot back.

“Face facts. Your daughter played the long game, and now she wants her payout.” I sat frozen, unable to speak.

The accusations flew around me like shrapnel. Even Mom’s defense of me started to waver as more family members began nodding along with Veronica’s theory.

“The timing is suspicious,” Someone muttered.

“She did have opportunity,” Another voice agreed.

Mr. Brennan watched the chaos unfold with an expression I couldn’t quite read. He made no move to interrupt or continue reading; it was as if he was waiting for something or someone to finish playing their hand.

Mr. Brennan raised his hand slowly, commanding silence with a gesture that reminded me why Grandma had trusted him for three decades. The shouting gradually died down, though Veronica remained standing, her chest heaving with righteous indignation.

“If I may continue,” He said, his voice carrying a weight that made everyone settle back into their seats.

“Mrs. Chen anticipated this exact scenario. In fact, she left me with very specific instructions for this moment.” He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a laptop.

It was modern and sleek, which seemed out of place among the antique furniture and vintage photographs. “Your grandmother was quite remarkable, you know. At 78, she embraced technology with an enthusiasm that would put people a quarter of her age to shame.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Uncle Robert demanded, though his voice had lost some of its earlier confidence.

“Everything, Mr. Chen. You see, 6 months ago, after the first items went missing, your mother came to me with a request.” Mr. Brennan looked at the family.

“She wanted to install security cameras in her home. Hidden ones.” The color drained from Veronica’s face so fast I thought she might faint.

“That’s illegal! You can’t record people without their consent!”

“Actually,” Mr. Brennan replied calmly.

“One can record anything they wish in their own home, especially when they suspect they’re being robbed. Mrs. Chen was quite within her rights.” He connected the laptop to the flat-screen TV.

It was the one Uncle Robert had bought Grandma last Christmas, insisting she needed to join the 21st century. The irony wasn’t lost on me now.

“Melanie,” Mr. Brennan said, turning to me for the first time.

“Do you remember helping your grandmother set up a cloud storage system about 6 months ago?”

“She said she wanted to preserve family memories digitally,” I nodded, my voice finally returning.

“I helped her scan old photos and set up automatic backups from her devices.”

“That wasn’t all she was preserving,” Mr. Brennan said with a small smile.

“The security system she had installed was connected to that same cloud storage. Every piece of footage was automatically uploaded and saved.”

“This is ridiculous,” Veronica said, but her voice shook.

“Even if there are cameras, they won’t show anything because Melanie was careful… I mean, because nothing happened.”

“Nice slip there, cousin,” Wesley let out a short laugh.

Mr. Brennan pulled up a folder on the laptop labeled “Evidence.” Inside were dozens of video files, each tagged with dates and times.

“Before I show you what Mrs. Chen collected, let me read the rest of her will, the part that Veronica so rudely interrupted.” He pulled the will back in front of him and found his place.

“The remainder of my estate, including the house, all remaining financial assets, and the contents of my safety deposit box, I leave to the one who helped me catch the thief in this family.”

“What kind of cryptic nonsense is that?” Uncle Robert sputtered.

“It’s not cryptic at all,” Mr. Brennan replied.