"No, no, no, please don't... It's just the chess piece, right? It's... in my bag... Could you please put the knife down? I'm scared..." Stella Lockwood clutched her crossbody bag tightly. "If you put the knife down, I'll give it to you..."
Hathaway figured she wasn't going anywhere, so he put the knife away.
Stella Lockwood offered a cautious, placating smile and rummaged through her bag, muttering, "Huh, where did it go? Hold on, let me look again... Oh, found it. But, Mr. Hathaway, who exactly sent you? Why are you so desperate for this chess piece? What kind of mystery is hidden inside it?"
"Give it to me." Hathaway snatched it away and used his knife to pry the chess piece open. It was empty. He instantly realized he'd been played. "Damn it, where's what was inside?"
Stella Lockwood looked confused. "What stuff?"
"The storage card."
"There wasn't one. All I got was the chess piece itself."
