Chapter 97 The Search
SIDS. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Victoria was going to murder Elena and make it look like a natural cause.
“Who has unrestricted access to Elena?” Aiden was saying when she came back, voice shaking. “Who’s been in place for six weeks?”
They made a list:
∙Claire (Ariella’s mother)
∙The pediatrician
∙The FBI agents assigned to protection
∙Jessica (visited twice)
∙Marcus (limited access, still recovering)
∙The bakery employees (three people, all worked there for years)
“It can’t be my mother,” Ariella said immediately.
“Victoria said they’ve been in place for six weeks. That eliminates Jessica and Marcus, they’ve known us longer.”
“The FBI agents rotated four weeks ago. New team.”
“So either the pediatrician or one of the bakery employees.”
“Or someone we’re not thinking of, Someone who seems so normal we haven’t noticed them.”
Aiden pulled up the recording again. Played it back.
“Access to the child is unrestricted,” the lawyer had said.
“Who has truly unrestricted access?” Ariella asked. “Who can be around Elena without us even thinking twice?”
They looked at each other.
Same thought.
“The nanny,” they said simultaneously.
But they didn’t have a nanny.
Except…
“The babysitter,” Ariella breathed. “From the shelter. The woman we paid to watch Elena during the Times Square broadcast. We’ve…we’ve used her three times since then.”
Aiden was already pulling up her information. “Rebecca Simmons, Age forty-two, Stellar references. Background check came back clean.”
“Too clean?”
“Maybe.” He dug deeper. “Her previous employment…all with families connected to Frost Industries. Employees, Board members, She’s been in the network’s orbit for fifteen years.”
“She’s the asset.”
“We don’t know that for sure…”
“She has access, she’s trusted, she’s been in place…” Ariella counted back. “…seven weeks. Right timeline.”
“We need proof before we accuse her.”
“We don’t have time for proof! We have thirty days!”
“And if we’re wrong? If we cut off the wrong person and the real asset stays hidden?”
Ariella wanted to scream.
Instead, she called David Park’s number. The one that would route through six countries and disappear after one use.
“I need surveillance on someone,” she said. “Full coverage. I need to know if she’s the one.”
Day 81. Twenty-eight days until the deadline.
The surveillance on Rebecca Simmons revealed nothing.
She went to work, came home, and Watched television. Normal life.
Too normal.
“She’s careful,” David reported. “Doesn’t use her phone for anything suspicious, No unusual contacts, No secret meetings. Either she’s innocent or she’s very, very good.”
“Test her,” Ariella said.
“How?”
“Let's ask her to babysit tomorrow at our place. And watch what she does.”
Day 80. Twenty-seven days until deadline.
Rebecca arrived at 10 AM, cheerful and warm.
“How’s our sweet girl?” she cooed at Elena.
Elena reached for her Smiling. Completely trusting.
Ariella felt sick at the sight of it.
“We’ll be back in three hours,” she told Rebecca. “She’s had breakfast, and might need a nap around eleven.”
“No problem. We’ll have fun, won’t we, Elena?”
They left, drove around the block and came back through the rear entrance.
David had installed cameras throughout the apartment, tiny, invisible ones. Broadcasting to a tablet Aiden held.
They watched Rebecca play with Elena, change her diaper, and sing to her.
Normal, Perfect, Exactly what a babysitter should do.
Then, when Elena fell asleep, Rebecca pulled out her phone and Made a call.
“It’s me,” she said quietly. “I’m in position. The child is sleeping, Access confirmed.” She paused. “Yes, I understand.
Day 60. No traces.” she paused again. “The delivery is ready. I’ll administer it during the birthday party. Everyone will think…” She stopped. Listened. “Understood. Goodbye.”
She hung up.
Went back to sitting on the couch, scrolling through her phone like nothing had happened.
Ariella was shaking so hard Aiden had to hold her upright.
“We have her,” he whispered. “We have proof.”
“We have an illegal recording that can’t be used in court.”
“So we don’t use it in court, We use it to stop her.”
“How?”
Aiden was already calling Marcus.
“We need Rebecca Simmons arrested now, before Day 60.”
“On what charges? We can’t use the recording…”
“Then find something else. Anything, Jaywalking, Tax evasion, I don’t care. Get her away from my daughter.”
Marcus was quiet. “I’ll try. But Ariella…”
“What?”
“Victoria said the asset would be impossible to find, That you’d never suspect them. A babysitter you’ve used three times? That’s…almost too obvious.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying maybe Rebecca is a decoy, Maybe Victoria wanted you to find her, Wanted you to think you’d solved it while the real asset stays hidden.”
The line went dead.
Ariella looked at Aiden.
“He’s right,” she whispered. “This is too easy. Victoria wouldn’t make it this simple.”
“Then who? Who else has access?”
They went through the list again.
Claire, the pediatrician, the FBI agents, The bakery employees.
And then Ariella saw it.
The detail they’d missed.
“The recordings,” she said slowly. “Play them again.”
Aiden did.
“…Dr. Chen confirms Ariella is twelve weeks along….”
“Dr. Chen,” Ariella repeated. “Victoria said Dr. Chen, not Dr. Patel, Not ‘your doctor.’ She used a specific name.”
“So?”
“So how does she know my doctor’s name? I never told anyone except you. Not even my mom knows which practice I’m using.”
They stared at each other.
“Unless someone told her,” Aiden finished. “Someone who has access to your medical records. Someone who…”
“Someone who’s been monitoring my pregnancy from the inside.”
Ariella pulled up Dr. Chen’s information.
Family medicine. Pediatrics. OB-GYN.
“She’s Elena’s pediatrician too,” Ariella breathed. “She has access to Elena for check-ups, Vaccines, and Wellness visits. She could…”
“Could administer something during a routine appointment and no one would question it.”
They had twenty-seven days.
Two potential assets.
And no way to prove which one was real.
Or if both were.
The clock was ticking.
And Victoria was still smiling from her cell, knowing they were running out of time.