Chapter 5 - THE MAN WHO LIED ABOUT THE HOSPITAL
Wren didn't accuse Matteo immediately.
She had learned in nursing that suspicion was not evidence.
Instead, she asked Enzo for permission to review the medical records related to his rehabilitation care.
He agreed.
Dr. Helena Shaw provided copies of relevant records through proper authorization.
Wren reviewed the dates.
The accident.
The initial hospitalization.
The rehabilitation transfer.
The medication changes.
Then she found something strange.
Three weeks after Enzo's injury, a man named Adrian Bell had been listed as an authorized visitor.
Wren looked up.
"Who's Adrian Bell?"
Enzo frowned.
"I don't know."
Matteo stood nearby.
"Probably an administrative error."
Wren turned.
"Maybe."
She continued reading.
Adrian Bell had signed a visitor log on the same day Enzo's medication regimen changed.
The change itself had been documented by a physician, but the timing raised questions.
Wren did not assume the medication was improper.
She asked Dr. Shaw to review it.
Then she contacted the hospital's records department to clarify the visitor entry.
That evening, Enzo asked Wren to stay.
Not as an employee.
As someone he needed to speak with.
She remained near the doorway.
"Why?"
He looked at his hands.
"Because I owe you an explanation."
Wren waited.
Enzo told her that Matteo had been his closest friend since childhood.
They had grown up together in Chicago.
Matteo had saved his life during a shooting fifteen years earlier.
He had managed security during the years Enzo expanded his organization.
After the accident, Matteo took control of the household.
He selected caregivers.
Approved visitors.
Handled transportation.
And controlled access to Enzo's records.
Wren looked at him.
"You gave one person control over everything."
Enzo nodded.
"I trusted him."
She glanced toward the hallway.
"Trust doesn't replace oversight."
Enzo gave a tired smile.
"You're becoming very expensive."
Wren raised an eyebrow.
"You haven't paid me yet."
He laughed.
Then grew serious.
"Wren."
She looked at him.
"Stay until we find out what happened."
She hesitated.
"Only if we do this differently."
"How?"
"No secret files. No threats. No decisions about my brother without telling me."
Enzo nodded.
"Agreed."
"And I get to decide whether I stay."
"Always."
Wren studied him.
Then said:
"All right."
That night, Matteo made a phone call from the east terrace.
He spoke quietly.
"The nurse found Adrian."
A pause.
May you like
Then:
"We have to move the records before she finds the rest."
