Chapter 12 - THE MAN WITH THE SCAR
Mateo arrived at Leah’s studio after midnight.
Blood covered the collar of his shirt.
The scar beside his ear had split open.
Leah called the police.
He stopped her.
“First, copy this.”
He handed her a small drive.
Mateo had entered the Halcyon’s archive using his employee access.
He found footage from the night of the gala.
The auction camera had been partially blocked.
A reflection in the glass cabinet showed Eleanor lifting the bracelet from its tray.
She placed it beneath the velvet base.
Then she returned to the ballroom and announced it missing.
“She staged the accusation,” Leah whispered.
Mateo nodded.
“There is more.”
The footage showed Adrian speaking to Eleanor before she approached Leah.
He pointed toward the brooch.
They had recognized it together.
Another file contained internal messages.
Adrian wrote:
Remove her before Julian sees the locket.
Eleanor answered:
The bracelet will provide cause.
Leah copied the drive.
“Who attacked you?”
“I never saw his face.”
“He was waiting near the archive stairs.”
Mateo finally allowed her to call the police.
At the hospital, his mother arrived.
Elena Ruiz had retired from Saint Vincent’s records department.
She looked at Leah for a long time.
“I held you once,” she said.
Leah became still.
“After I was born?”
“Yes.”
“Your mother was terrified.”
“Elena helped Claire leave the hospital through a service entrance.”
The official records claimed the baby had died.
If staff saw Claire carrying Leah, Eleanor’s plan would collapse.
Elena took them through the laundry corridor.
She arranged a taxi.
She also copied the original registration.
“Why didn’t you contact Julian?” Leah asked.
“Elena lowered her eyes.”
“Your mother begged me not to.”
“She believed he had signed the threat.”
“I obeyed her fear.”
Leah looked toward Mateo’s hospital room.
“Then you taught your son to keep records.”
“I taught him that fear should not be the final archivist.”
The police traced the attacker through garage footage.
He worked for a security firm owned by Adrian.
Adrian denied ordering violence.
The internal messages suggested otherwise.
Julian called an emergency board meeting.
Adrian did not attend.
May you like
He had disappeared.
So had the original copy of Edward Mercer’s will.
