Chapter 2 — The Hidden Witness
Richard ordered security to search every serving station.
Within minutes, one waiter disappeared.
No one could find him.
Emily immediately recognized his name.
"Daniel."
The temporary bartender hired only for tonight.
Security reviewed the guest list.
No identification.
No permanent address.
The employment documents were fake.
Richard realized the poisoner hadn't acted alone.
Daniel had vanished before security reached the kitchen.
But Emily quietly smiled.
"I expected him to run."
Everyone looked at her.
She opened another folder.
Three weeks earlier, she had noticed someone entering Richard's private dining room after midnight.
She had secretly written down every unusual delivery, every unfamiliar employee, every unexplained schedule change.
She even photographed Daniel unloading supplies through the rear entrance two nights before the gala.
Richard stared at the evidence.
"You've been investigating this yourself?"
Emily nodded.
"No one would've believed a maid."
Richard slowly understood.
May you like
She hadn't interrupted dinner.
She had spent weeks trying to stop a crime no one else even knew existed.
