Chapter 7 - The Bribed Server|
Raphael answered the call and put it on speaker, sliding the phone onto the nightstand between them.
"Speak, Catherine," Raphael commanded.
"We have the waiter," Catherine’s calm, razor-sharp voice echoed in the quiet room. "NYPD picking him up off a tip from Marco’s team. His name is Tyler Morrison. Twenty-three years old, hired through a temporary staffing agency."
Elena sat up slightly, wincing at the pull of the IV line. "Did he know what was in the glass?"
"According to his initial statement to detectives, no," Catherine explained. "He claims a woman approached him in the service hallway before the main toast. She gave him two thousand dollars in cash to ensure you received a specific nonalcoholic flute."
"Who was the woman?" Raphael demanded, his jaw working tightly.
"Vivienne Sterling," Catherine replied flatly.
Elena drew in a sharp breath. "Vivienne... I saw her. She was watching me right before I took the sip."
"Morrison claims Sterling told him it was just a harmless social prank," Catherine continued. "He thought it was something to make you a little nauseated to ruin your evening. He didn't know it was a pharmaceutical-grade sedative."
"Where did Sterling get the glass?" Raphael asked, his tone dropping to a dangerous register.
"The catering coordinator received a sealed bottle from a supplemental sponsor liaison," Catherine said. "A firm called Prestige Hospitality Consulting."
"Search them," Raphael ordered.
May you like
"I already did," Catherine countered. "It’s a shell company registered in Delaware eight months ago. Virtual address in Midtown. No real employees."
Raphael stood up, pacing toward the window overlooking the rain-slicked Manhattan streets. "Find out who owns the shell."
