Chapter 4 - Midnight
Valeria ran back through the tunnel.
By the time she reached the ballroom, Gregory had been moved into a guarded study. Noah sat on a sofa with Maya, Valeria’s longtime house manager, wrapped in a blanket.
“Where is Dr. Cole?” Valeria asked.
Maya pointed toward the bar. “She was checking your father’s old friend. He got dizzy.”
Valeria’s eyes moved across the room.
Dr. Serena Cole had treated the family for twelve years and had access to Valeria’s medical history.
And the incompetency petition contained medical language no lawyer would casually know.
“Serena.”
The doctor turned, smiling too quickly. “Valeria, thank God. Noah is all right?”
“I need to ask you something.”
“Of course.”
“Did you tell anyone I abused sleeping pills?”
The smile vanished.
“No.”
“Did you prepare a psychiatric statement saying I was unstable?”
“No.”
“Then why is your license number on this?”
Valeria held up the petition.
Serena’s face changed.
She reached for it.
Tomas stepped between them.
“I wouldn’t.”
Serena backed away.
Gregory shouted from the study, “Valeria! Stop making a scene!”
“Funny,” Valeria called back. “You never minded scenes when you thought I was the one being embarrassed.”
11:51.
Tomas checked the house network. The security system had been altered. At midnight, several internal locks were scheduled to switch to emergency override.
“Who programmed it?” Valeria asked.
“Administrative account.”
“Whose?”
Tomas hesitated.
“Mine.”
He looked genuinely stunned.
Someone had cloned his credentials.
11:55.
Noah tugged on Valeria’s sleeve.
“Mom?”
“Yes, baby?”
“When Dad put me in the room, he said the red light would make everybody sleepy.”
Valeria frowned.
“What red light?”
Noah pointed toward the ornate ventilation grilles near the ceiling.
At that exact moment, a tiny indicator behind one grille changed from green to red.
Tomas looked up.
May you like
“Everybody out. Now.”
A faint hiss began inside the vents.
