Chapter 2 - The Secret in the Code
We needed a secure computer, one not connected to my personal home network.
I directed Daniel to the hospital, using my chief surgeon credentials to bypass the front desk and enter my private office.
The hospital was quiet at this hour, filled only with the sterile hum of fluorescent lights.
I locked my office door, pulled the blinds shut, and booted up my standalone diagnostic laptop.
Daniel paced nervously behind me, checking the hallway through the small window in the door.
"You have no idea how much danger you are in, Emily," he muttered, running a hand through his hair.
"Then enlighten me, Daniel, because right now all I know is my sister is a thief," I said, sliding the memory card into the reader.
The screen flickered for a moment before a series of heavily encrypted files appeared.
Fortunately, reading complex data matrices was part of my daily job when analyzing neurological scans.
I bypassed the rudimentary password lock and opened the main directory.
The folder was filled with surveillance photos, financial records, and medical files.
I gasped as I recognized the face in the photographs.
It was Arthur Vance, a patient I had performed a complex arterial surgery on just two weeks ago.
Vance was supposed to be a witness in federal protection, recovering under heavy guard on the fourth floor.
"Why does Brooke have files on my protected patient?" I demanded, turning to look at Daniel.
Daniel stopped pacing and sighed heavily.
"Because Arthur Vance is not a protected witness, Emily."
"He is the money launderer for a cartel, and his federal handlers are dirty."
"Brooke found out and decided to blackmail them for two million dollars."
I stared at him in pure disbelief, my mind struggling to process the sheer stupidity of my sister.
"She stole my identity to buy that bracelet because she needed a discreet way to transport the blackmail data," I deduced, feeling sick.
"Exactly, and when they refused to pay, she planned to hand this over to the real FBI," Daniel explained.
May you like
Before I could ask how Daniel knew all of this, the heavy oak door to my office rattled violently.
Someone was trying to force the lock.
