Chapter 6 - The Dark Hallway.
The blackout lasted eleven seconds.
It felt longer.
Elena ran toward Ruby's scream in complete darkness, one hand sliding along the wall.
A door slammed ahead of her.
Then the emergency lights came on.
Ruby was standing in the center of Elena's suite, crying beside the security officer.
The balcony doors were open.
The curtains moved in the ocean breeze.
"What happened?" Elena asked.
The officer looked shaken.
"Someone threw something through the door."
A small object lay on the carpet.
Ruby's stuffed rabbit.
The same rabbit Elena had just seen in Ruby's original suite.
Its stomach had been cut open.
Cotton filling spilled across the floor.
Inside the toy was a tiny digital recorder.
Marcus stared at it.
"Sophia gave her that rabbit."
Elena's anger became very still.
"Then the recorder may have been there for years."
Tomas used gloves to remove it.
The battery was nearly dead, but one audio file remained.
They played it in the library.
At first there was only static.
Then Sophia's voice filled the room.
Elena covered her mouth.
She had not heard her sister speak in two years.
"If anything happens to me, do not believe it was an accident."
Marcus sat down hard.
The recording continued.
Sophia sounded frightened but controlled.
She said she had discovered irregular transfers from Hale Meridian Holdings, the family company Marcus now ran.
Millions had been routed through shell vendors tied to resort acquisitions.
She had confronted someone she trusted.
She never said the person's name.
Instead, the recording ended with a sentence that made Marcus look at Damian.
"The person helping him is close enough to stand beside Marcus at his wedding someday."
Nobody spoke.
Damian laughed softly.
"You cannot possibly think she meant me."
Marcus did not answer.
Damian spread his hands.
"I wasn't even your best man when Sophia died."
"You were my business partner," Marcus said.
"So were three other people."
Celeste stepped forward.
"This has nothing to do with our wedding."
Elena looked at her.
"Ruby found the recorder because someone tore open her rabbit."
"Maybe Lila did it."
"Convenient."
Celeste's patience snapped.
"What do you want from me?"
Elena answered instantly.
"The truth."
A security guard entered with news that Lila Grant had been found near the employee marina.
She was alive.
She was terrified.
And she was trying to leave in a maintenance boat.
They brought her into a private conference room wrapped in a blanket.
Her silver-shoe ribbons were missing.
Her wrists were bruised.
Marcus placed the wet heels on the table.
"Did you take Ruby onto the pier?"
Lila started crying.
"Yes."
Elena's stomach tightened.
"Did you push her?"
Lila shook her head violently.
"No."
"Then what happened?"
Lila looked toward the door as though someone might be listening.
"I was told to bring her to the west railing."
"By whom?"
Lila's eyes moved to Celeste.
Celeste went pale.
Lila whispered, "The bride."
Marcus closed his eyes for one second.
Celeste exploded.
"She's lying!"
Lila flinched.
"You said it was just for a surprise photograph."
Celeste shook her head.
"I never said that."
Lila reached into the blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
"Then why did you send me this?"
She placed a second phone on the table.
On the screen was a message from a number saved as CELESTE PRIVATE.
BRING RUBY TO THE WEST RAIL AT 5:45.
KEEP ELENA AWAY.
May you like
Underneath was another message.
IF THE CHILD TALKS ABOUT LAST NIGHT, WE ALL LOSE EVERYTHING.
