Einer der Gäste, Dr. Samuel Hart, eilte nach vorn und untersuchte sie.
„Sie muss ins Krankenhaus“, sagte er. „Sofort.“
Daniel nickte.
Dann ertönte eine leise Stimme aus dem Hintergrund der Menge.
“Vati?”
Daniel turned.
His seven-year-old daughter, Sophie, stood beside a column.
Her little gold party dress looked painfully bright against her terrified face.
Daniel’s expression changed instantly.
“Sophie, sweetheart, come here.”
But Sophie didn’t move.
She pointed toward Evelyn.
“Mommy is telling the truth.”
Nobody spoke.
Daniel stared at his daughter.
“What did you see?”
Sophie swallowed.
“There was a man behind her.”
Evelyn closed her eyes.
Daniel felt something cold move through his chest.
“What man?”
“The man with the black glove.”
Daniel slowly looked around the ballroom.
Dozens of guests.
Black tuxedos.
White shirts.
Perfect smiles.
And suddenly every stranger looked dangerous.
His security chief, Marcus Hale, moved forward.
“Lock the doors.”
Several guests protested immediately.
Daniel didn’t care.
“Nobody leaves.”
Marcus signaled to the security team.
The ballroom doors closed.
Daniel handed Lily carefully to Dr. Hart.
“Take her to the hospital. Two security officers go with you.”
Then he turned toward Evelyn.
“Come downstairs.”
She hesitated.
“Daniel—”
“Now.”
Evelyn descended.
When she reached the bottom step, Daniel noticed blood on her palm.
His anger shifted.
“What happened to your hand?”
“I grabbed the railing.”
She opened her fingers.
A thin cut crossed her skin.
“I was trying not to fall.”
Daniel looked up the staircase.
Something glittered near the fifth step.
He walked toward it.
Marcus reached it first.
A small silver cuff link lay beside the railing.
Marcus picked it up with a handkerchief.
Daniel’s face changed.
He recognized it.
An engraved letter.
C.
Evelyn saw it too.
“Oh, God.”
Daniel turned.
“You know who this belongs to?”
Evelyn whispered the name.
“Charles.”
Daniel’s older brother.
And the chairman of Cross Industries.
Daniel immediately searched the ballroom.
Charles Cross was gone.
“Find him.”
Marcus spoke into his radio.
Security officers spread through the mansion.
Daniel turned back toward Evelyn.
“Why would my brother push you?”
She looked at him for several seconds.
“Because Lily wasn’t the target.”
Daniel froze.
Evelyn stepped closer.
“You were.”
Before he could answer, Marcus’s radio crackled.
“Sir, you need to see this.”
They entered the security room three minutes later.
Daniel stood behind the technician.
“Show me the staircase.”
The recording began.
Guests filled the ballroom.
Evelyn appeared at the top of the stairs carrying Lily.
Daniel watched.
Then the technician paused.
“Sir…”
“What?”
“There’s a gap.”
Daniel leaned closer.
“What kind of gap?”
“Eleven seconds are missing.”
Evelyn stared at the monitor.
“The exact eleven seconds when I fell.”
