Chapter 5 - The Woman Who Lied
By dawn, Ethan had borrowed a delivery van from an old boxing friend and parked outside Mercy Hospital. He wore scrubs stolen from a laundry cart and carried a paper cup of terrible coffee as if he worked there.
Nora lay in a private room with oxygen tubing under her nose. The guard outside her door watched a basketball game on his phone. Ethan waited for a loud play, slipped through, and closed the door.
Nora opened one eye. “You look awful.”
“You tried to tell me something.”
“I told you plenty.”
“Lena Vale says my sister ordered your murder.”
Nora's face tightened. She sat up too fast and winced. “You found Lena?”
“Is it true?”
“Mia gave the order,” she said. “But she also slipped me the cuff release code. Victor caught her before she could stop the pump.”
Ethan gripped the foot of the bed. “What is he making her do?”
“Build a witness.”
“That doesn't mean anything.”
“It means fake videos, fake confessions, fake evidence. He can ruin anyone and prove anything. Mia was good enough to catch the mistakes in his system.”
“Why take her?”
“Because she found the original files. Real crimes, real people. If those files get out, Ashford's empire burns.”
Ethan showed her the strip of film. Nora frowned at WREN.
“That's not a password,” she said. “It's a person. Dr. June Wren built the technology, then vanished.”
“Everybody vanishes around him.”
“Not everybody.” Nora looked toward the window. “Some of us get sold.”
The door opened. Celeste entered with a bouquet of white flowers and a face arranged into calm concern.
“Nora, sweetheart—”
“Don't,” Nora said.
Celeste set down the flowers. “Victor has your brother.”
Nora went still.
Ethan looked from one to the other. “What brother?”
Nora swallowed. “The one my mother told me died at birth.”
Celeste removed a folded photograph from her bag. Two small children stood beside a lake, both with Nora's dark eyes.
On the back someone had written: ELI, AGE 6. KEEP HIM QUIET.
Celeste said, “Victor called ten minutes ago. He'll trade Eli for the button.”
May you like
From the bouquet came a faint electronic chirp.
Nora whispered, “Ethan, those flowers are listening.”
