CHAPTER 6: THE SURGEON'S SECRET
CHAPTER 6: THE SURGEON'S SECRET
The investigation moved quickly.
There were only four surgeons on duty during Sophia Moretti's emergency delivery.
One by one, they were questioned.
Dr. Emily Rhodes.
No bracelet.
Dr. Nathan Cole.
No bracelet.
Dr. Victor Lang.
No bracelet.
Then came Dr. Adrian Keller.
Forty-six years old.
Highly respected.
Award-winning neonatal surgeon.
He entered the conference room wearing an expensive watch.
But no bracelet.
Marcus studied him carefully.
"Mind if we see your wrists?"
Keller smiled politely.
"Of course."
He rolled up both sleeves.
Nothing.
Claire frowned.
She was certain.
She had seen it.
Unless...
Her eyes drifted toward the doctor's neck.
A faint pale line circled his left wrist.
Like the mark left by jewelry recently removed.
Marcus noticed it too.
"You usually wear something?"
Keller hesitated.
"My wedding band."
"On your wrist?"
"No..."
The answer came too quickly.
Marcus smiled.
"I think we're finished."
Keller stood.
"Am I free to go?"
"For now."
The surgeon walked away.
Claire watched him disappear down the hallway.
Something wasn't right.
Very quietly she said,
"He's lying."
Marcus nodded.
"I know."
"But lying isn't enough for an arrest."
Three hours later...
A forensic report arrived.
The oily residue found inside Leonardo's ventilator tubing wasn't accidental contamination.
It contained a synthetic compound capable of triggering catastrophic cardiovascular collapse in newborn infants.
It wasn't commercially available.
It had to be manufactured.
Marcus read the report twice.
Then looked at Dominic.
"This wasn't murder for money."
Dominic folded his arms.
"What do you mean?"
"The dosage."
Marcus tapped the report.
"It was calibrated specifically for a newborn."
"An adult wouldn't even notice it."
Silence filled the room.
Someone had designed the poison.
Specifically.
For Leonardo.
Dominic's jaw tightened.
"They wanted my bloodline."
Before anyone could respond, Claire's phone rang.
An unknown number.
She answered cautiously.
"Hello?"
A distorted electronic voice whispered:
"You should have let the baby die."
Claire's blood turned to ice.
"If you tell anyone what you've seen..."
A pause.
"...your mother dies next."
Claire stopped breathing.
"My mother is already dead."
The caller laughed softly.
"No."
"Not your mother."
"Your patient's mother."
Sophia Moretti.
The line went dead.
Claire's face drained of all color.
She looked at Dominic.
"They're going after Sophia."
At that exact second, alarms exploded from the VIP recovery suite.
One of Dominic's guards shouted from the hallway:
"She's gone!"
Everyone ran.
Sophia's hospital bed was empty.
The heart monitor leads had been cut.
The IV line dangled over the side of the mattress.
On the pillow lay a single white rose stained with one drop of blood.
Tucked beneath it was a handwritten note.
May you like
YOU SAVED THE BABY.
NOW TRY SAVING HIS MOTHER.
