Chapter 2 - THE MAN IN THE COLD ROOMJulian did not run.
That mattered.
He stood perfectly still while security moved closer.
Then raised both hands.
“I did not touch that cake.”
Dominic stared.
“Lily pointed at you.”
“She’s three.”
Rosa stiffened.
Julian immediately corrected himself.
“I’m not saying she’s lying.”
“Then what are you saying?”
“That she may have seen me in the kitchen earlier.”
True.
Julian had entered the catering area around noon to check that Ethan’s emergency medication kit was stored correctly.
Multiple people saw him.
He had a legitimate reason.
Lily had seen him too.
But had she seen the same person later?
Dominic refused to decide based on one toddler identification.
That would be reckless.
Police arrived.
Statements were separated.
Security footage preserved.
The box recovered.
The cake isolated.
The white powder bagged.
Julian voluntarily handed over his phone.
Good.
Then another piece of footage surfaced.
A camera near the service elevator had not been disabled.
At 2:41 p.m., a man in catering whites walked toward the cold room.
Face partly hidden.
Similar height to Julian.
At 2:44, Lily entered the corridor.
At 2:46, she ran out.
At 2:47, the man left carrying nothing.
The uniform was wrong for regular estate staff.
Security searched.
Found the jacket in a laundry bin.
Inside one pocket:
A pair of disposable gloves.
And a temporary employee badge.
Name:
Aaron Blake.
The catering company had no employee by that name.
So someone entered using a false identity.
Now the case widened again.
Julian may have been recognized by Lily because the attacker resembled him or copied something about his appearance.
Or because Julian was involved.
May you like
Both possibilities remained open.
Evidence first.
