Chapter 7 - The Man Beneath Maternity
Dr. Malcolm Voss did not look like a criminal.
He looked like an executive interrupted on the way to dinner.
His suit was immaculate.
His silver hair was combed perfectly.
Even when police brought him into the security office, he remained calm.
“This is absurd.”
Gabriel stood behind the conference table.
“You were found beneath maternity carrying Khloe’s medical file.”
“I’m the chief medical administrator.”
“That does not answer the question.”
Voss glanced at Marcus.
For half a second, something passed between them.
Khloe saw it.
“So you do know each other well.”
Marcus nodded.
“Professionally.”
Voss smiled.
“More than professionally, apparently.”
Marcus’s expression hardened.
“What does that mean?”
Voss leaned back.
“You came to me terrified your wife was carrying another man’s child.”
Khloe’s face burned.
Marcus moved forward.
Gabriel stopped him.
Detective Price placed the stolen nurse badge on the table.
“This was found inside Dr. Voss’s coat pocket.”
Voss finally looked surprised.
“I have never seen that.”
“You expect us to believe someone planted it?”
“Yes.”
Isabella’s attorney arrived twenty minutes later.
So did a second detective.
The lockdown remained in effect.
Nobody left.
Then security recovered something from Isabella’s purse.
A second phone.
Not the one she had handed over voluntarily.
This one had no passcode.
Detective Price opened the messages.
Most had been deleted.
One conversation remained.
The contact was saved as a single letter.
M.
Gabriel looked at Marcus.
Marcus’s face went pale.
Khloe’s stomach tightened.
Isabella smiled from across the room.
“There.”
She pointed at Marcus.
“You wanted proof.”
Marcus stared at her.
“That isn’t me.”
Isabella laughed.
“You’re unbelievable.”
Detective Price handed Marcus the phone.
The messages were brief.
M: Tonight. Suite 1704.
Isabella: And the camera?
M: Handled.
Isabella: What if she refuses to fight?
M: Make her angry.
Isabella: And if that doesn’t work?
There was a long gap.
Then the final reply.
M: You know what has to happen before the baby is born.
Khloe could hear her own heartbeat.
She looked at Marcus.
He looked horrified.
“I never sent these.”
Isabella began to cry again.
But this time there was something different beneath the tears.
Satisfaction.
“You promised me,” she whispered.
“You told me Khloe was the problem.”
Marcus slammed his palm against the table.
“Stop lying.”
Khloe flinched.
Gabriel stepped between them.
Detective Price examined the phone.
“We’ll trace the number.”
Marcus looked at Khloe.
“Please.”
She turned away.
Then the security technician spoke.
“There’s another problem.”
Everyone looked toward him.
“The camera above Suite 1704 was supposed to be disabled tonight.”
Gabriel frowned.
“But it wasn’t.”
“No.”
The technician swallowed.
“Someone submitted the shutdown order at 6:42 p.m.”
“Who?”
The technician slowly looked toward Dr. Voss.
“The authorization came from his office.”
Voss shook his head.
“I didn’t submit anything.”
The technician continued.
“And there’s something else.”
“The camera that recorded the attack wasn’t the hospital camera.”
Silence filled the room.
Gabriel stared at him.
May you like
“Then whose camera was it?”
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