Chapter 2 - The ambulance disappeared into the darkness.But Detective Ruiz didn't leave.
He stood in the center of the mansion while his officers secured the staircase.
Vanessa watched him carefully.
“What exactly are you doing here?”
Ruiz glanced at her.
“Investigating.”
“Investigating what?”
“A fall.”
Vanessa laughed nervously.
“You make it sound like murder.”
Ruiz's expression didn't change.
“I haven't said murder.”
“But you were looking at me.”
“I look at everyone.”
Mrs. Howard interrupted.
“My daughter-in-law is pregnant. She nearly died. We need to know whether she'll survive.”
“She has a pulse,” Ruiz said. “The hospital will know more.”
Daniel stepped toward him.
“Detective, this is a family matter.”
Ruiz looked at him.
“That usually means it isn't.”
Silence.
An officer approached.
“We found this under the runner.”
He held up a tiny metal object.
A camera lens.
Vanessa stared at it.
Daniel's face changed.
Ruiz noticed.
“You recognize it?”
“No.”
Too quickly.
Ruiz smiled faintly.
“Good.”
He took it.
“Then this investigation should be easy.”
Vanessa followed Daniel into the library.
The moment the doors closed, her crying stopped.
“Daniel.”
“What?”
“You saw it too.”
“The card?”
She nodded.
“Where did Elena get a camera?”
Daniel lowered his voice.
“I don't know.”
“She must have been recording us.”
“She didn't know everything.”
Vanessa stared at him.
“You're sure?”
“Yes.”
“You told me she had no idea.”
“She didn't.”
Vanessa paced.
“Then why did she call Detective Ruiz?”
Daniel grabbed her arm.
“She called him?”
“She whispered something before the ambulance arrived.”
“You heard her?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know?”
Vanessa looked at him.
“Because she smiled.”
Daniel froze.
“What?”
“When she was lying there.”
He released her.
Vanessa leaned against the desk.
“I thought I imagined it.”
Daniel's breathing became heavier.
“Maybe the fall injured her.”
Vanessa shook her head.
“You don't understand.”
Her voice dropped.
“She wasn't afraid.”
In the hospital, Elena opened her eyes.
A nurse noticed.
“Mrs. Howard?”
Elena looked around.
“Where am I?”
“St. Mary's.”
“My baby?”
“Your baby is being monitored.”
Elena exhaled.
“Is my husband here?”
The nurse hesitated.
“Not yet.”
Elena closed her eyes.
Good.
Exactly as planned.
A doctor entered with an ultrasound report.
“Your baby appears stable.”
Elena nodded.
“And the stairs?”
“You have bruising, a dislocated shoulder, and a mild concussion. Surprisingly, no major internal bleeding.”
Elena stared at him.
“Surprisingly?”
“You were very lucky.”
Elena almost smiled.
Luck had nothing to do with it.
For three months, she had secretly researched the staircase.
She had measured every step.
She had learned where the marble was reinforced.
She had installed a concealed emergency padding system beneath a decorative runner.
When Vanessa shoved her, Elena hadn't fallen blindly.
She had controlled the angle of her body.
The impact still hurt.
But she had survived.
Because survival was part of the trap.
A nurse left.
Elena reached under her pillow.
There was another phone.
A secure phone.
She called Ruiz.
“She took the bait.”
“Did Daniel react to the memory card?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent.”
Elena stared at the ceiling.
“How much did he see?”
“Enough to panic.”
She closed her eyes.
“Good.”
Ruiz lowered his voice.
“There is something you need to know.”
Elena immediately sat up.
“What?”
“We found evidence in your husband's office.”
“What evidence?”
“A hidden second phone.”
Elena's expression changed.
“What's on it?”
“Messages.”
“From Vanessa?”
Ruiz paused.
“Not exactly.”
“Then who?”
“We're still identifying the number.”
Elena frowned.
Ruiz continued.
“But there is one message you need to hear.”
“What does it say?”
He hesitated.
“Your husband wasn't planning to wait until after the baby was born.”
Elena's blood ran cold.
“What was he planning?”
Ruiz answered slowly.
“To make you disappear.”
The call ended.
Elena stared into the darkness.
She had thought Vanessa was the dangerous one.
She had been wrong.
Vanessa was only the first piece.
There was someone else behind the trap.
May you like
Someone Daniel was obeying.
And that person had already decided Elena's time was running out.
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