Chapter 9 - The Ambulance That Wasn't Called

I met them halfway down the east corridor.

"Turn around," I said.

Shaw tightened his grip on his case. "Your mother needs urgent imaging."

"Dr. Park is her physician now."

"You can't simply replace clinical judgment with—"

"I can refuse a transfer nobody authorized."

Victor stepped forward. "Rafe, people are getting nervous. You're letting a maid and some old grief turn you against your own men."

"Then call off your men."

A sound came from behind me: wheels on stone.

Elena was pushing my mother's wheelchair through the gallery. She saw the stretcher and stopped.

"We're leaving through the garden," she said to Teresa, loudly enough that we could hear.

Victor's right hand disappeared inside his jacket. I had seen that movement before. I moved to block his view of them.

"Don't," I said quietly.

His hand came out empty.

"You're imagining enemies everywhere."

At that instant the lights failed. Emergency lamps came on along the floor, turning the corridor a cold red.

One of the men in scrubs ran toward Elena.

I tackled him against a marble column. A metal instrument skidded across the tiles. Miles caught the second man at the back door and pulled the security gate down between them.

Victor was gone.

In the confusion, Shaw bolted for the ambulance. He didn't get far. Dr. Park, who had come down from the study, stood in the driveway with two uniformed officers she had called after seeing the forged transfer order.

I was still breathing hard when Elena returned, my mother hidden in the locked greenhouse behind her.

"Are you hurt?" she asked.

"No. You?"

"I don't think so."

She was shaking. I wanted to hold her but kept my hands to myself.

"Thank you," I said.

"For what?"

"Not letting them take her."

"Thank your mother. She saw the ambulance and told me no with both hands."

Two officers interviewed the men and took the instrument as evidence. I gave them the footage and didn't ask anyone to make a call on my behalf.

Then Miles showed me the restored backup from the garage camera.

May you like

Billionaire’s Wife Kicked a Waitress in Front of 300 Elites—One Slap Exp...

The billionaire’s wife tried to kick a waitress in the face in front of 300 wealthy guests. But seconds later, she whispered three...

My Mother Grabbed My Wife by the Hair Over Cold Soup—But What My Father...

My mother grabbed my wife by the hair over a bowl of cold soup. And the most shameful part? For one terrible second, I almost defe...

My Parents Kicked My 6-Year-Old Daughter and Me Out on Christmas—Then I...

My mother kicked my six-year-old daughter out of Christmas dinner, never realizing I was the only reason she still had a house to...

Victor had arrived in his own car. On the passenger seat lay Camille's wooden sewing chest.

In the back seat sat a little girl I had never seen before.