Chapter 15 - THE YELLOW STALL
Linda entered Fairbridge Market alone.
At least, that was what Celeste was meant to believe.
Detective Vance’s officers moved through neighboring buildings.
Desmond and Prescott remained behind a produce warehouse.
Vendors who lived above their shops quietly unlocked side gates for police.
The same community that had dismissed Toby now helped search every aisle.
Linda approached the yellow stall.
“Toby?”
“Mom!”
His voice came from the storage booth behind her display.
The door was wired shut.
Celeste stepped from the shadows holding a small knife.
She wore dark pants and a hooded jacket.
Nothing remained of the elegant woman in the ivory coat.
“Put the drive on the table.”
“Let him out.”
“The drive first.”
Linda placed it beside a repaired stuffed elephant.
Celeste picked it up.
“How many copies?”
“That is the original.”
“How many copies?”
“Too many for you to erase.”
Celeste’s eyes narrowed.
“You always thought being honest made you superior.”
“No. I thought stealing from families made you dangerous.”
Inside the storage booth, Toby kicked the door.
Celeste raised the knife.
“Tell him to stop.”
Linda looked toward the booth.
“Toby, remember what Dad taught you about Captain?”
Silence.
Toby’s father had once shown him how to use the blue button on Captain’s eye as an emergency whistle.
Desmond had returned the button at the hospital.
Toby understood.
A piercing whistle sounded inside the booth.
Police heard it from two aisles away.
Celeste grabbed Linda and pressed the knife against her side.
“Walk.”
They moved toward the service lane.
Desmond stepped from behind a stall.
“Let her go.”
Celeste laughed.
“You finally found courage when someone poorer than you needed it.”
Desmond did not defend himself.
“She warned me. I chose not to listen.”
“You chose me.”
“I chose the version of you that you manufactured.”
Sirens sounded outside.
Celeste pulled Linda closer.
“You think she is innocent? She kept company files. She met Prescott secretly. She wanted your money.”
Linda spoke through clenched teeth.
“I wanted my name back.”
Toby’s whistle sounded again.
Celeste glanced toward the booth.
Linda drove her heel down onto Celeste’s foot and twisted away.
The knife fell.
Desmond kicked it beneath a table.
Detective Vance entered with officers.
Celeste ran toward the loading lane.
Mrs. Alvarez pushed a cart of orange crates into her path.
Celeste crashed onto the pavement.
Vendors surrounded the aisle but did not touch her.
They simply left no path to escape.
Vance placed Celeste in handcuffs.
“You are under arrest for attempted murder, kidnapping, assault, conspiracy, and financial fraud.”
Linda rushed to the storage booth.
Police cut the wire.
Toby fell into her arms.
This time, when he cried that someone had taken his mother, the entire market had listened.
Celeste watched them embrace.
Her expression remained bitter.
“You think this changes what people see when they look at you?”
Toby looked at her.
“They see you in handcuffs.”
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👉 Toby was safe and Celeste was captured—but the files recovered after her arrest would decide whether Linda was fully cleared or remained the convenient face of the stolen millions.
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