Chapter 5 - THE INVISIBLE WOMAN
The Whitfield estate was eerily quiet when Maria returned through the staff entrance.
She put on her standard grey uniform and grabbed her cleaning cart to blend in.
Voss had indeed doubled the security, placing heavily armed men at every major hallway.
Maria kept her head down, spraying glass cleaner and wiping mirrors as she slowly moved upstairs.
Just as Daniel predicted, the guards completely ignored the hired help.
She reached the master bedroom, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs.
The safe was hidden behind a massive oil painting that she had dusted a hundred times before.
She entered the code, her sweaty fingers slipping on the keypad.
The heavy steel door clicked open, revealing stacks of cash, passports, and the small red hard drive.
She shoved the drive deep into the pocket of her apron just as she heard footsteps approaching.
"Hey, what are you doing in here?" a gruff voice demanded from the doorway.
Maria spun around, clutching her dusting rag like a weapon.
"I am just cleaning the baseboards, sir," Maria said, dropping to her knees and scrubbing the floor.
The guard narrowed his eyes, stepping further into the room to inspect the area.
He looked directly at the oil painting, which was slightly crooked from when Maria moved it.
Maria held her breath, praying he would not notice the hidden panel.
"Hurry it up, nobody is supposed to be in the master wing," the guard barked before turning away.
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Maria let out a shaky exhale, grabbed her cart, and practically ran toward the back stairs.
She had the evidence, but the hardest part was getting it back to the hospital alive.
