Chapter 6 - The Bribed Hand
In the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound keeping Sarah tethered to reality. She sat in a hard plastic chair beside Lily’s hospital bed, holding her daughter’s small, bruised hand against her cheek. Lily was sleeping deeply, the heavy dose of antihistamines and steroids pulling her into a dark, necessary unconsciousness.
Felix stood like a stone sentinel by the door, his eyes scanning the corridor outside. He had already dispatched his head of corporate security to St. Catherine’s Academy to secure the school's surveillance footage.
Within an hour, his phone vibrated. He stepped out into the hallway to answer it.
"What did you find, Marcus?" Felix asked, his voice low and dangerous.
"We pulled the front desk footage, Mr. Kingsley," Marcus reported. "At 8:15 a.m., a man in a courier uniform dropped off a small bakery box with the receptionist. He claimed it was a special birthday delivery from Ms. Marlowe. The receptionist, assuming it was safe, brought it to the classroom."
"Did you get a facial recognition hit on the courier?" Felix demanded.
"Yes, sir. His name is David Trent. He’s not a real courier. He’s a low-level freelance fixer. We traced his recent bank deposits. Yesterday afternoon, a wire transfer of fifty thousand dollars was deposited into his account from a shell corporation registered in Delaware."
Felix closed his eyes, a lethal anger boiling in his veins. "Let me guess. The shell corporation traces back to Celeste."
"It does, sir. It’s the same LLC she uses to hide her offshore bakery profits. We have her dead to rights on the transaction."
"Find David Trent," Felix ordered, his tone devoid of all mercy. "I don't care what it costs or how many men you need to deploy. Find him, secure his confession on tape, and then hand him over to the police. But do not alert Celeste. I want her to think she is still winning."
"Understood, Mr. Kingsley."
Felix ended the call and walked back into the hospital room. He looked at Sarah, who was gently stroking Lily’s pale forehead, her face etched with profound exhaustion and sorrow.
"We found the man who delivered the cupcake," Felix said softly, walking over to stand behind Sarah’s chair. "Celeste paid him."
Sarah’s shoulders shook as a fresh wave of tears hit her. "She tried to kill my baby over a restaurant brand, Felix. She tried to murder a six-year-old girl."
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"She is going to pay," Felix vowed, resting his hand gently on Sarah’s shoulder. "I am going to take everything she loves, everything she values, and I am going to crush it to dust. But right now, we just protect Lily."
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