Chapter 2 - The Audit Trail
Rachel didn't sleep. She spent the remainder of her shift barricaded in the documentation room, the glowing screen of her terminal casting blue shadows across her face.
She wasn't just a nurse; she was a gatekeeper of facts. She dove into the audit logs, bypassing the front-end display. The digital breadcrumbs were there, scattered and hidden. The original timestamp—12:07 a.m.—had been accessed via an administrative override code.
Code: A-COL-99.
It wasn't just a correction; it was a hack.
As she cross-referenced the shift logs, a pattern emerged. Over the last six months, Dr. Cole had been the primary physician for three other births involving the Mercer extended family. Each time, there were "clock discrepancies." Each time, the child was born just moments before or after a critical hour.
It was a systematic manufacturing of heirs.
A soft knock on the door made her jump. It was David, the hospital’s IT security officer, a man who usually only cared about printer jams and network outages.
"You really shouldn't be digging here, Rachel," he said softly, leaning against the doorframe.
"They're rigging the inheritance, David. They're changing birth times to bypass trust stipulations."
David walked in, closing the door behind him. He didn't look shocked; he looked resigned. "I saw the access logs. I saw who opened the backdoor. But you need to understand, the Mercers don't just own the estate. They own the board of directors. They own the hospital's funding for the new wing. You pull this thread, and the whole tapestry unravels. Not just for Cole—for the hospital."
"Then let it unravel," Rachel whispered.
May you like
"You have a daughter at home, right?" David’s voice was devoid of malice, but the weight of the question hit her like a physical blow. "Think about your own life before you burn this place down."
Rachel touched her pocket. The bracelet was still there. "I’m not burning it down, David. I’m just trying to make sure the right baby gets to be born."
