Novel-novel oleh Marie Writes

chapter hundred-twelveEmilyI read the message again before stepping out of the elevator.You're looking in the wrong place, Emily. The person who signed that note isn't the person you need to fear.The words were simple, but they left me with an uncomfortable feeling that settled beneath my ribs.Whoever had sent the message knew about the handwritten authorization. That meant either someone involved in our investigation was talking, or the sender had access to information that should have remained within a small circle.Neither possibility was reassuring.I forwarded the message to Daniel and the hospital's security team, then put my phone away.I wasn't going to let an anonymous stranger dictate where I looked.Seth was waiting in the living room when I arrived at the penthouse. He sat on the sofa with a blanket across his legs, looking thoroughly annoyed with the restrictions his doctor had placed on his recovery.His eyes lifted when I entered."You're late."I glanced at the cl

chapter hundred-elevenEmilyThe note arrived in my office twenty minutes later.I had expected a photocopy, perhaps another incomplete document that would give us more questions than answers. Instead, Daniel walked in carrying a sealed evidence envelope, his expression unusually serious.“The original,” he said, placing it on my desk. “The coordination supervisor signed the transfer record. Security has also made a digital copy.”I looked at the envelope.“Did anyone else see it?”“Only the supervisor and the records officer before it was sealed. I've asked them to document every person who handles it from now on.”“Good.”He opened the envelope carefully and slid the paper onto the desk.It was a small sheet, yellowed slightly at the edges, with a handwritten instruction beneath the reference number we had already identified.Proceed with temporary access. Inspection to be handled separately from routine maintenance.Below it was a signature.The writing was hurried, the letters pre

chapter hundred-tenEmilyBy eight the next morning, I was already in my office, staring at the documents Daniel had left on my desk.For days, we had been chasing fragments. A visitor pass with a questionable name. A camera inspection nobody could account for. An escort authorization with no escort identified. Now, the records showed that someone had bypassed the normal maintenance procedure and used the executive administration channel to make it happen.The question was no longer whether something unusual had occurred.It was who had made it possible.My phone rang.“Tell me you have something useful,” I said when Daniel answered.“I do. But I think you'll want to see it yourself.”“Daniel, I'm not in the mood for suspense.”“Then come to the administrative records room. I've found the original routing sheet.”I grabbed my notebook and left.Daniel was waiting beside a computer, three folders spread across the table. He looked as though he had barely slept.“You look terrible,” I t

chapter hundred-nineEmilyThe first thing Daniel said when he entered my office the following morning was, “We found a discrepancy.”I looked up from my laptop.“Good morning to you too. What discrepancy?”He placed a folder on my desk and pulled out two printed reports.“The original access log and the administrative summary don't match. The original system recorded the credential's exit at 8:03 p.m. The summary says 7:56 p.m.”I compared the timestamps.“Seven minutes.”“Yes. And the summary was generated the following morning.”I looked at him sharply.“Can we tell who generated it?”“The system records the account used to produce the summary, but the account belongs to the security office. Several employees could access it.”I sighed.“Of course they could.”Daniel ignored my sarcasm and continued.“The technical team checked the amendment history. The original access event wasn't deleted. The later summary simply contains a different exit time.”“Was the summary manually correct

chapter hundred-eightEmilyI couldn't stop thinking about the security records.Every time I believed we were close to an answer, another gap appeared. The visitor pass had been issued under the name M. Hale, the camera inspection had been arranged through an external contact, and someone had entered the restricted administrative corridor twice without leaving a complete record.Now we had evidence that the second entry involved a departmental credential, but we still couldn't establish who had used it.I sat at my desk, reviewing the documents Daniel had gathered, when my phone rang.“Emily, are you still at the hospital?” Seth asked.“Yes. I'm trying to understand why our security system has more holes than a fishing net.”He chuckled. “That bad?”“Worse. At least a fishing net has a purpose.”“Have you eaten?”I glanced at the clock.“Why does everyone keep asking me that?”“Because you forget.”“I do not.”“Emily.”“Fine. I'll eat something.”“Thank you, sweetheart.”I paused at

chapter hundred-seven EmilyThe second access record arrived at my office before ten the following morning.I had barely finished reading the first page when Daniel walked in, carrying a folder thick enough to make me suspicious.“Please tell me this contains something useful,” I said.“It does. Whether you'll like it is another matter.”I put down my pen. “Daniel, I haven't had enough coffee for riddles.”He placed the folder in front of me.“The security team has confirmed that the administrative corridor was accessed again four days after the camera inspection. This time, the camera was operational.”I immediately opened the folder.“Who entered?”“The system recorded an employee credential, but the access report doesn't include the person's name. We're trying to retrieve the original credential assignment from the archived records.”“Why is every record in this hospital missing the one thing we need?”“I'm beginning to wonder the same thing.”I examined the report.Unlike the ear