Chapter 13 - THE FALSE GALA
The Whitmore Grand Hotel appeared closed from the outside.
Its main entrance was dark.
A sign announced that renovations were underway.
Behind the locked doors, however, police transformed the ballroom into a trap.
Undercover officers dressed as servers, donors, musicians, and security guards.
Cameras were hidden inside flower arrangements.
Every hallway was monitored.
Emma wore a dark blue evening dress.
A small microphone rested beneath the fabric near her collar.
Cole checked the signal.
“You stay beside Daniel.”
“You do not enter any room that has not been cleared.”
“You do not follow Vanessa.”
Emma nodded.
Daniel stood a few feet away in a black suit.
They had not been alone since the hospital.
For a moment, neither knew what to say.
Finally, Daniel spoke.
“You look strong.”
“I need to be.”
“I should have told you that long before tonight.”
Emma adjusted the bracelet covering her tracking device.
“This is not the time to discuss us.”
“I know.”
Daniel held out the silver authorization key.
“It is a copy.”
“The real key is with Cole.”
Emma looked at him.
“Vanessa will test it.”
“It will pass the first scan.”
“It will fail when she attempts the transfer.”
The first guests arrived at eight.
Most were undercover officers.
A few were trusted foundation board members cooperating with the investigation.
Music filled the ballroom.
Champagne glasses moved across silver trays.
At eight thirty, Benton’s phone received a message.
Room 1704.
Bring the keys.
Cole directed Daniel and Emma toward the elevator.
“I will be listening.”
The seventeenth floor was silent.
Room 1704 stood open.
Inside, the lights were dim.
A laptop rested on a table beside two fingerprint scanners.
Emma entered with Daniel.
The door closed behind them.
A woman stepped from the bedroom.
She wore a black dress and a half veil covering her face.
Vanessa.
“You came,” she said.
Emma looked directly at her.
“You knew I would.”
Vanessa’s gaze moved to Emma’s belly.
“You always did enjoy being the center of a tragedy.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Leave her out of this.”
Vanessa smiled.
“You still sound like her trained little hero.”
“You planned to kill me.”
“That recording was a contingency.”
“You discussed my death with our mother.”
“Our mother discussed it.”
“I listened.”
Daniel’s voice hardened.
“You arranged the boat.”
Vanessa’s smile disappeared.
She turned to Emma.
“Give me Charles’s key.”
Emma held up the silver card.
“First, admit what you did.”
Vanessa laughed softly.
“You are wearing a microphone.”
She reached beneath the table and pressed a button.
A loud burst of static filled Emma’s earpiece.
The connection to Cole disappeared.
Vanessa lifted a small electronic jammer.
“I learned not to underestimate clocks.”
She pointed toward the bedroom.
Two armed men emerged.
Daniel moved in front of Emma.
Vanessa held out her hand.
“The key.”
Emma gave it to her.
Vanessa scanned the card.
A green light appeared.
Satisfaction spread across her face.
“By the time the police break through that door, the money will be gone.”
Emma looked toward the laptop.
May you like
“No.”
“By the time they break through, they will finally know who you are.”
