Chapter 14 - The Hospital Corridor
Leela had always been the parent who made trouble seem smaller. When Maya lost her compliance job, she had brought a bowl of rice to the couch and said, "A company can take your badge. It can't take your eyes." Maya had laughed through tears.
Seeing the empty bed now, she understood the true cost of Graham's threats. He wasn't merely trying to stop her from working. He was trying to turn love into leverage.
Maya called her mother's care facility three times. No answer.
She drove there with Arjun while Julian stayed with the agents. Her hands shook so badly she let her brother hold the keys.
Their mother, Leela, had chronic heart disease and needed help walking. She was supposed to be in the recreation room at ten. Her bed was empty, her coat missing.
A nurse said two people had arrived claiming to transfer Leela to a specialist appointment. The paperwork bore a convincing hospital letterhead.
Maya pressed both palms against the counter. "Who authorized it?"
"We thought the family had," the nurse whispered.
"You thought?"
Arjun put a hand on Maya's arm. "We'll get the records. We need a description and the vehicle camera."
Maya wanted to scream. Instead, she sat beside the empty bed and saw her mother's slippers lined neatly underneath.
A message arrived from an unknown number.
COME ALONE. LEAVE THE FILES. YOU GET YOUR MOTHER BACK.
She showed it to Arjun immediately. He contacted Brooks, who traced the vehicle through traffic cameras and coordinated with local officers.
"I'm not losing her because I tried to do the right thing," Maya said.
"We're not going alone," Arjun answered.
They found the transport van outside an abandoned medical office. Police surrounded it. Inside, Leela was frightened but unharmed, clutching a paper bag of crackers.
"They said you sent them," she whispered as Maya hugged her.
"I didn't. I'm sorry."
Leela held her daughter's face. "You came. That's what matters."
On the van's rear seat, detectives found a folder that was not meant for Leela. It contained a list of upcoming witnesses, including Eli Torres and Dr. Price.
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Beside Victor Whitmore's name was a handwritten note.
TRANSFER COMPLETED. DISPOSAL AT DAWN.
