Chapter 5 - SOPHIE’S SECOND SECRET
Cynthia had taken Sophie into the old conference wing.
She believed there were no cameras there.
She was wrong.
During renovations, I had installed temporary wireless units above the ceiling tiles.
They weren’t connected to the main network.
Which meant whoever disabled our system didn’t know they existed.
I opened the independent feed.
There was Sophie.
Sitting inside Conference Room 14.
Cynthia paced in front of her.
Vanessa was there too.
So was Dr. Pierce.
But Vanessa wasn’t behaving like Cynthia.
She was crying.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
Cynthia snapped at her.
“Stop talking.”
“We have a child locked in a room!”
“She saw everything.”
Vanessa looked at Sophie.
“She’s eight.”
“And she destroyed everything.”
Sophie suddenly spoke.
“You’re the one who put the pillow in the bag.”
Cynthia turned.
“Be quiet.”
“You’re also the one who switched the pictures.”
Cynthia froze.
So did I.
What pictures?
Sophie continued.
“The ultrasound pictures.”
Vanessa stared at her sister.
“What is she talking about?”
Sophie pointed toward Cynthia’s purse.
“I saw you change them.”
Cynthia walked toward her.
“When?”
“In the dressing room.”
My daughter had noticed something none of us had.
Cynthia had removed one ultrasound from Vanessa’s bag and replaced it with Elena’s.
Vanessa looked horrified.
“You planted Elena’s ultrasound?”
Cynthia said nothing.
Vanessa stood.
“You told me it was accidentally mixed in.”
Cynthia’s silence answered.
Vanessa backed away.
“Oh my God.”
She finally understood.
She had been used too.
Not innocent.
But used.
Cynthia had deliberately brought Elena’s ultrasound into the ballroom.
Why?
Alexander asked the same question.
Then Elena whispered.
“Because she wanted Alexander to find me.”
I turned.
“Why?”
Elena looked at the key in her hand.
“Because I’m the only person who knows where the ledger is.”
Cynthia never needed the fake pregnancy to succeed.
She needed it to collapse.
Publicly.
Dramatically.
In front of Alexander.
So Alexander would discover Elena.
And Elena would be forced to reveal the evidence.
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The fake pregnancy had never been the final crime.
It had been bait.
