Chapter 4 - THE ENVELOPE THAT STARTED EVERYTHING
Gabe Callahan arrived the following morning.
He was twenty-four, thin, and carrying the expression of a man who had spent too long expecting punishment.
Wren met him in the garage apartment.
The moment she saw him, she knew something was wrong.
His right hand was swollen.
His lip was split.
"Gabe."
He tried to smile.
"Hey, Bird."
She hadn't heard that childhood nickname in months.
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
Wren stared.
He lowered his eyes.
"Salerno."
She guided him to a chair.
"Tell me everything."
Gabe explained that he had worked as a courier for a small logistics company.
One night, a supervisor offered him five hundred dollars to deliver a sealed envelope.
He needed the money.
He didn't ask questions.
The delivery was to a man waiting outside a diner.
Two days later, Enzo's SUV was struck.
A week after that, Salerno approached Gabe and claimed the envelope contained information stolen from his organization.
He demanded payment.
Gabe had no way to prove otherwise.
Wren listened.
Then asked:
"Do you still have the delivery receipt?"
Gabe nodded.
He removed a folded slip from his wallet.
Wren examined it.
The recipient's signature was illegible.
But the timestamp was clear.
11:42 P.M.
She frowned.
"What?"
Gabe looked nervous.
"The man who took it was wearing a hospital bracelet."
Wren looked up.
"A hospital bracelet?"
"Yeah. White plastic. Blue lettering."
"Did you see a name?"
Gabe hesitated.
"I remember the first name."
"What was it?"
Gabe swallowed.
"Adrian."
Across the estate, Enzo was meeting with Matteo Russo.
Matteo had been his security chief for six years.
He was loyal, disciplined, and the only person Enzo trusted with access to his private medical records.
When Wren entered with Gabe's information, Matteo's face changed.
Only slightly.
But Wren noticed.
"Adrian," she repeated.
Enzo looked at Matteo.
"Do you know someone by that name?"
Matteo shook his head.
"No."
Wren studied him.
Then noticed something else.
May you like
Matteo's left wrist bore a pale rectangular mark.
The shape of a recently removed hospital bracelet.
