Chapter 3 - The Ghost in the System
The digital clock on the corner of Roman’s desk glowed 11:42 PM.
The study had grown considerably colder as the fire in the hearth burned down to glowing embers. Claire sat perched on the edge of the leather armchair, clutching a mug of black coffee that Viktor had silently brought in an hour ago. She hadn't touched it; her hands were still shaking too violently to hold the ceramic without spilling.
Across the room, Roman stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out into the pitch-black expanse of the estate grounds overlooking the lake. He had spent the last two hours tearing apart every detail of her life—interrogating her about her coworkers, her landlords, her credit history, and every person she had interacted with over the past six months.
"The wire transfer originated from a shell corporation registered in the Cayman Islands," Roman said without turning around. His voice was low, carrying the tired weight of a man who trusted no one and suspected everyone. "Routed through three intermediary banks in Zurich before landing in your Chicago credit union. Standard laundering protocol. Whoever set this up has institutional backing."
"And you still think I did it?" Claire asked bitterly, setting the untouched mug down on the side table. "If I were a professional operative hired by your enemies, do you really think I’d be stupid enough to use my own checking account, or live in a one-bedroom apartment with a seventeen-pound cat that terrorizes the mailman?"
Roman turned slowly, his expression unreadable. "Professionals make mistakes when they are desperate. Or..." He paused, walking back toward the desk. "Or you were chosen precisely because your life looks ordinary. Because you are expendable."
"Expendable?" Claire stood up, her anger finally overriding her fear. "I saved your son’s life! If I hadn't jumped into that freezing river, Ethan would be dead right now! Is that what your enemies wanted? Because if so, they picked a terrible assassin!"
"Lower your voice," Roman warned sharply, though there was no real heat in it.
Before Claire could fire back another retort, the study door clicked open.
Viktor stepped inside, holding a secure encrypted tablet. His expression was grimmer than usual, a dark shadow crossing his scarred face.
"Boss," Viktor said, nodding toward Roman before casting a cautious glance at Claire. "We ran the IP address associated with the online banking access for that fifty-thousand-dollar deposit. It pinged from a proxy server in downtown Chicago. But we also pulled the traffic cameras around your son’s school from yesterday afternoon."
Roman stepped around the desk. "What did you find?"
Viktor tapped the screen of the tablet, flipping it around so Roman could see. "Ethan wasn't walking home alone. He was with his nanny, Sarah. But twenty minutes before he reached the river path, Sarah received a text message telling her that her mother had been hospitalized in Evanston."
Roman’s eyes flashed with sudden, dangerous comprehension. "A diversion."
"Exactly," Viktor nodded. "Someone called Sarah away, leaving Ethan unattended for less than five minutes near the public park entrance. That’s when someone grabbed him."
Claire stepped closer, peering at the tablet over Roman’s shoulder. "So it wasn't a random accident. Someone specifically stalked him."
"Yes," Roman murmured, his jaw clenching so hard muscles ticked along his jawline. He looked up at Viktor. "Identify the phone number that messaged Sarah."
"Already did," Viktor replied grimly. "It was a burner registered under a fake identity. But the device pinged off a cell tower three blocks away from Lakeview General Medical Center."
The room went dead silent.
May you like
Claire’s breath hitched in her throat. She stared at Viktor in sheer disbelief. "Lakeview General? That’s my hospital."
"Precisely, Ms. Bennett," Roman said, turning his dark, piercing gaze back to her. "Which means either you have a very chatty coworker with a talent for international wire fraud, or someone inside your hospital is actively orchestrating a war against my family."
