Chapter 4: Blood Doesn't Lie
Chapter 4: Blood Doesn't Lie
The forensic laboratory on the hospital's lower level never slept.
At six-thirty in the morning, fluorescent lights reflected off polished stainless-steel counters as technicians in white lab coats carefully examined the diamond bracelet Daniel Carter had recovered from beneath the marble cabinet.
The tiny scratches along its clasp were almost invisible.
The crimson stain trapped inside the broken hinge was even smaller.
Yet Daniel knew something from years in law enforcement before becoming Chief of Hospital Security.
Sometimes the smallest piece of evidence carried the greatest truth.
"Forensic priority one," Daniel instructed.
The senior technician nodded.
"We'll process it immediately."
Marcus stood beside him.
"How long?"
"If the sample is usable..."
The technician looked toward the analyzer.
"...less than two hours."
Marcus exhaled slowly.
Every minute felt like an hour.
Two floors above...
Khloe remained in the maternity observation suite.
The fetal monitor continued its steady rhythm.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Each sound reminded her that her child was still fighting.
Dr. Amelia Reynolds entered carrying fresh test results.
"Good news."
Khloe immediately looked up.
"The baby remains stable."
Relief washed across her face.
"And me?"
"You suffered bruising and significant stress, but there are no signs of internal bleeding."
Khloe finally smiled.
For the first time since the nightmare began.
The smile faded when the doctor hesitated.
"What is it?"
Dr. Reynolds carefully chose her words.
"I need to ask a difficult question."
Khloe nodded.
"Did someone intentionally hurt you?"
Silence filled the room.
Khloe stared at the blanket covering her stomach.
Finally...
"Yes."
One word.
Barely above a whisper.
But it changed everything.
Outside the room...
Marcus overheard the answer through the partially opened door.
His chest tightened.
Until that moment...
Part of him had desperately hoped the confrontation had simply spiraled out of control.
Now...
There was no doubt.
Someone had deliberately harmed his wife.
He quietly stepped away before Khloe noticed him.
Guilt settled heavier on his shoulders.
He should have protected her.
Instead...
He had hesitated.
Across the city...
Inside the executive headquarters of Thorne Global...
News had already reached the Board of Directors.
Emergency meetings began before sunrise.
Stock analysts flooded financial news channels.
"Questions continue surrounding last night's incident involving the Thorne family..."
"Investors are awaiting an official statement..."
"The company's stock opened down nearly six percent..."
Inside the boardroom...
Several directors exchanged uneasy glances.
Board Chairman Harold Bennett spoke first.
"We need Marcus here."
Another director disagreed.
"His wife is hospitalized."
"The company comes first."
"No."
"The family comes first."
The room divided immediately.
Exactly as Isabella had hoped.
Meanwhile...
Inside a luxury penthouse...
The unidentified man watched the financial news with quiet satisfaction.
A smile crossed his face.
"The market is reacting."
His assistant entered carrying a tablet.
"The stock continues falling."
"Excellent."
"But..."
"What?"
"The hospital hasn't released any information."
"They won't."
"They're too busy looking for evidence."
The man calmly closed the television.
"They'll find nothing."
His confidence remained absolute.
He still believed every dangerous clue had disappeared.
He was wrong.
Back inside the forensic laboratory...
A loud tone echoed from one of the analyzers.
The lead technician looked closely at the results.
Then frowned.
"Chief Carter..."
Daniel walked over.
"What did you find?"
The technician enlarged the digital report.
"The blood on the bracelet matches Mrs. Thorne."
Marcus felt his stomach tighten.
"So Isabella's bracelet came into contact with Khloe."
Daniel nodded slowly.
"But that's not all."
The technician zoomed in again.
"There are skin cells beneath the clasp."
"Can you identify them?"
"We're running the comparison now."
Ten minutes later...
Another result appeared.
The room became completely silent.
"Chief..."
Daniel stepped closer.
"It's Isabella Rossi's DNA."
Marcus stared at the report.
Khloe's blood.
Isabella's bracelet.
Both on the same broken clasp.
The bracelet had not simply fallen off.
It had broken during physical contact.
Marcus looked toward Daniel.
"What does that prove?"
Daniel answered carefully.
"It proves Isabella was close enough to leave behind physical evidence."
"But..."
"It doesn't prove exactly what happened."
Marcus nodded.
"We still need the recording."
"Exactly."
Elsewhere in the hospital...
Elaine Parker couldn't stop thinking about one detail.
She returned to the executive suite after investigators finished processing it.
The room remained sealed.
She slowly looked around.
The marble table.
The shattered crystal.
The overturned chair.
Then...
Something caught her attention.
One crystal fragment reflected light differently than the others.
She crouched.
Hidden beneath the broken champagne glass lay a small gold button.
Not from Khloe's dress.
Not from Marcus's tuxedo.
It matched the decorative buttons on Isabella's evening jacket she had worn before changing into her gala gown.
Elaine immediately called Daniel.
"I found something."
Daniel arrived within minutes.
He carefully collected the button.
Marcus frowned.
"Another accident?"
Daniel shook his head.
"No."
He looked around the room.
"People don't usually lose jewelry..."
"...and clothing..."
"...unless there's a struggle."
Across the hallway...
A janitor quietly pushed his cleaning cart.
No one paid attention to him.
He lowered his cap as he passed the investigators.
Inside the supply cart...
Hidden beneath folded towels...
Sat a small encrypted hard drive.
A single blinking light indicated it was still powered.
The copied surveillance footage.
The janitor continued walking calmly toward the service elevator.
Almost there.
Just another twenty feet.
Then—
"Excuse me."
The voice stopped him instantly.
He turned.
Daniel Carter stood behind him.
"May I see your identification?"
The janitor smiled politely.
"Of course."
He reached slowly toward his pocket.
Daniel noticed something unusual.
Hospital maintenance uniforms didn't include leather gloves.
This man was wearing them.
For one long second...
Neither man moved.
Then the janitor shoved the cleaning cart directly toward Daniel.
Towels exploded across the hallway.
Buckets crashed against the floor.
The man sprinted toward the emergency stairwell.
"Stop him!"
Security officers burst from both ends of the corridor.
Marcus joined the chase without thinking.
The suspect flew down two flights of stairs before crashing through an exit door into the underground parking garage.
Car alarms echoed.
Tires screeched.
He disappeared between concrete pillars.
Security officers spread out.
Daniel reached the abandoned cleaning cart.
He searched every shelf.
Every compartment.
Nothing.
The hard drive was gone.
Somewhere during the chase...
The suspect had hidden it.
Or passed it to someone else.
Minutes later...
Security sealed every entrance to the parking garage.
No vehicles were allowed to leave.
Marcus leaned against a concrete pillar, breathing heavily.
"We almost had him."
Daniel looked around the massive garage.
"No."
Marcus frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Daniel slowly scanned the dozens of parked luxury vehicles.
"He wanted us to chase him."
Marcus stared.
"Why?"
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
"Because while we were focused on one suspect..."
"...someone else had time to move the evidence."
Marcus slowly turned toward the rows of elevators leading back into the hospital.
Whoever was orchestrating this conspiracy...
Was always thinking one step ahead.
And somewhere inside St. Victoria Medical Center...
May you like
The missing surveillance footage was changing hands once again.
End of Chapter 4
