Chapter 7 - The Woman in the Medical Uniform
The intruder turned as Alejandro entered.
She wore a surgical mask and a white medical jacket. One hand gripped the rabbit backpack. The other held a small canister.
Alejandro moved between her and Emma.
“Put it down.”
The woman raised the canister.
A guard entered from the hall.
The intruder sprayed a cloud toward him. He staggered back, coughing, but remained conscious.
Emma hid behind Alejandro.
The woman ran toward the bathroom, locked the door, and tried to climb through a narrow service window.
Matteo arrived from the opposite hallway and intercepted her outside.
Within seconds, the woman was restrained on the garden path.
She was not a doctor.
She was Celia Grant, Sofia’s personal assistant.
Celia had worked at the foundation for three years. She handled Sofia’s calendar, travel plans, and confidential correspondence.
She had entered the medical wing using Dr. Shah’s copied access card.
Matteo brought her to the security office while Alejandro stayed with Emma.
The little girl sat on the bed, staring at the open backpack.
“Why did she want my medicine?”
“She may not have wanted the medicine,” Alejandro said.
“She wanted Bunny.”
“Yes.”
Emma hugged the toy.
“Bunny makes people angry.”
“Bunny is helping us learn the truth.”
“Is the truth angry?”
“Sometimes people become angry when the truth finds them.”
Emma considered this.
“Daddy said lies are loud because they’re scared.”
Alejandro looked at Elena.
“Daniel said that?”
“All the time.”
Celia initially refused to answer questions. Then Matteo placed the photographs from Sofia’s car in front of her.
Celia’s composure collapsed.
“I did not take those.”
“But you entered Emma’s room under a false identity,” Matteo said.
“I was told to retrieve the toy.”
“By Sofia?”
Celia looked toward the camera in the corner.
“Turn that off.”
“No.”
“Then I want a lawyer.”
Alejandro entered the security office.
“You can have one. Until that lawyer arrives, listen carefully. Someone attempted to kill me. Someone stole thirty-eight million dollars from a charity. Someone has been following a four-year-old child.”
Celia looked at the floor.
“You helped that person enter this estate.”
“I did not know they would hurt anyone.”
“Who are they?”
Celia’s eyes filled with tears.
“Sofia told me the rabbit contained stolen foundation data. She said Daniel Morales had been selling confidential information.”
“Daniel died two years ago.”
“She said he left copies behind.”
“Where is Sofia?”
“I don’t know.”
“Who told you to come tonight?”
Celia glanced at the photographs again.
“I received a voice message from Sofia’s private number.”
“Do you still have it?”
She nodded.
The message played through the office speakers.
“Celia, retrieve Emma’s rabbit before midnight. Use the medical entrance. Do not speak to anyone. If the device reaches Alejandro, everything we built will be destroyed.”
It sounded exactly like Sofia.
Mara analyzed the file remotely.
“The voice is synthetic. It was generated using Sofia’s recordings.”
“Then who sent it?” Alejandro asked.
“The number was copied. The transmission came through an internal foundation server.”
Celia began to shake.
“I thought I was protecting Sofia.”
“From what?”
Celia looked at Alejandro.
“From your cousin.”
“Adrian?”
“He and Sofia had been fighting for weeks. She wanted to cancel the St. Orison transfer. Adrian told her it was too late.”
Alejandro thought about the distorted male voice in the study.
“Did Adrian know about the rabbit?”
“Daniel once worked directly for him.”
Celia reached into her pocket slowly.
Matteo stopped her.
“It is only a keycard,” she said.
He removed a black card printed with a red circle.
“Where did you get this?”
“Sofia gave it to me yesterday. She said that if anything happened to her, I should open the old records room beneath the foundation building.”
“What is inside?”
“I don’t know. No one has used that room since your mother died.”
Alejandro took the card.
May you like
A message had been scratched into the back.
TRUST THE CHILD WHO REMEMBERS THE SHOES.
