Chapter 3 - THE FRAMED NANNY
Serena’s smile disappeared.
Cole opened another file.
The printer log showed that the false passport had been created at 3:42 p.m.
Serena had entered her office seven minutes earlier.
The train ticket had been purchased with a card connected to one of her shell accounts.
The cash found beneath Lily’s mattress came from a sealed bank bundle delivered to Serena that morning.
Lily closed her eyes.
“She was going to blame me.”
Victor looked toward Serena.
“For kidnapping my son.”
Serena folded her arms.
“I was testing the household.”
“Testing?”
“You are surrounded by people who want to use you.”
“I wanted to see whether Lily could be trusted.”
“You created a false passport.”
“She should not have had access to my office.”
“She did not.”
Cole held up the hallway video.
“It shows your personal assistant carrying the documents into Lily’s room.”
Serena turned toward him.
“Where is Marlene?”
“Missing.”
Victor looked at his guards.
“Find her.”
The men left immediately.
Serena stepped toward Victor.
“You are allowing a frightened servant to destroy us.”
Victor’s eyes remained on her.
“You injured my child.”
“He fell.”
“The camera shows your hand around his arm.”
“He was pulling away.”
“You brought a syringe.”
“He would not sleep.”
Victor stopped moving.
The room became completely silent.
Lily remembered Ethan’s recent exhaustion.
For nearly two weeks, the little boy had slept longer than usual.
He struggled to stay awake during breakfast.
Serena blamed teething.
Lily had begun writing down every meal and nap because something felt wrong.
She had also hidden a sample from Ethan’s bedtime bottle.
“Dr. Navarro,” Lily said.
“I have something in my locker.”
Serena looked toward her.
“What?”
Lily addressed Victor.
“I saved part of Ethan’s milk from last night.”
“He became dizzy after drinking it.”
“I thought the kitchen had changed the formula.”
“I planned to ask the doctor today.”
Sofia sent a nurse to retrieve the bottle.
Serena backed toward the hallway.
Victor noticed.
“Where are you going?”
“I need air.”
“You are not leaving this wing.”
“You cannot hold me here.”
Victor looked toward Cole.
“No one leaves the estate.”
Serena laughed nervously.
“You think I poisoned him?”
Victor did not answer.
The nurse returned with the bottle.
Sofia placed a drop onto a rapid screening strip.
The color changed immediately.
“This contains a sedative,” she said.
Victor’s face turned toward Serena.
Sofia continued.
“Possibly the same compound from the syringe.”
Serena looked around the room.
Everyone had stepped away from her.
“You do not understand.”
Victor moved closer.
“Then explain.”
Serena’s voice broke.
“Your son was supposed to remain asleep during the transfer.”
Victor stopped.
“What transfer?”
Serena realized she had said too much.
Before she could recover, Cole’s phone rang.
He answered.
Then he looked toward Victor.
“We found Marlene’s car.”
May you like
“It was abandoned near the lake.”
“There was blood inside.”
