Chapter 4 - The Shadow at the Memorial
Back at the grand memorial hall in downtown Chicago, the crystal chandeliers still sparkled over three hundred elite guests. String quartets played softly near Evelyn’s enormous portrait, and judges, politicians, and business leaders continued to sip champagne, completely unaware that the host of the evening had vanished into the rain.
Near the edge of the dais, Marcus Reed stood alone, swirling amber scotch in a crystal tumbler.
His eyes were fixed on the side door through which Adrian had exited ten minutes earlier. A faint, imperceptible twitch betrayed the calm facade he wore for the public.
"Mr. Reed?"
Marcus turned smoothly, smoothing the lapel of his tailored black suit. Standing before him was a young security operative assigned to the perimeter detail.
"What is it?" Marcus asked, his tone clipped.
"We checked the perimeter cameras near the private exit, sir. Mr. Vale’s sedan cleared the service gate at 4:14 PM. He was accompanied by the housekeeper, Grace Miller, and her daughter."
Marcus’s jaw tightened. "Did anyone follow them?"
"Negative, sir. Your standing orders were to let Mr. Vale leave if he discovered anything, but..." The operative hesitated, swallowing hard. "Sir, the dashcam footage from the security vehicle near the service exit picked up audio right before they pulled out. Mr. Vale said something to the child."
"What did he say?" Marcus’s voice dropped an octave, the temperature around him seeming to plummet.
"He asked the little girl... 'Will you show me the yellow room?'"
The crystal tumbler in Marcus’s hand cracked. A thin line of amber scotch spilled across his knuckles, but he didn't flinch.
"Get my car," Marcus commanded, his voice cold as arctic ice. "And alert the second-tier units in the west district. If Adrian finds that house before we do, everything we built over the last eight months collapses."
May you like
"Yes, sir."
Marcus turned his back on the memorial hall, walking briskly toward the underground parking garage. The mask of the loyal, grieving best friend was gone. In its place stood the architect of a bloody betrayal.
