Chapter 5 - The Hidden Transmitter
The green light on Detective Vance’s lapel badge pulsed in a steady, rhythmic pattern that Clara recognized instantly as an encrypted live-feed transmission. Vance froze mid-step, his hand hovering over the cold steel handcuffs as he caught the direction of Clara’s piercing gaze. A sudden flicker of panic crossed the detective’s seasoned face before he masked it with a rough, dismissive sneer.
“You’re talking nonsense, lady. Put your hands behind your back,” Vance ordered, lunging forward with surprising speed to grab Clara’s wrists before she could react.
Clara twisted away with a sharp pivot, her stiletto-less heel clicking unevenly against the marble. She reached out and snatched the small, discarded diamond-encrusted shoe from the floor, holding it defensively like a club as Marcus rushed to cut off her escape route toward the service elevator.
“Don’t you touch her, Vance! The federal marshal’s office is already receiving this audio feed,” Clara shouted clearly toward the badge, her voice carrying down the empty hall and echoing into the live recorder.
Marcus stopped dead in his tracks, his face draining of all color as he stared at the detective’s lapel. The heavy silence that followed was broken only by the mechanical hum of the ceiling security camera, which suddenly shifted gears with a loud, metallic click and whirred directly toward the service elevator doors at the end of the hall.
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“What did you say?” Marcus whispered, his voice trembling as the facade of the cold, calculated mastermind completely crumbled away.
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