Chapter 217
No.1
The freezing rain continued to hammer the concrete of the Johns Hopkins University Medical Research Center parking garage.
The underground structure was dark, damp, and echoed with the sound of dripping water. A black,armored SUV sat idling in the shadows near the exit ramp.
Leona Calloway walked rapidly across the wet concrete. She wore a heavy trench coat, the collar pulled up high around her neck. She kept glancing over her shoulder, her eyes wide and frantic. The news of Allena's lawsuit had leaked through the hospital grapevine an hour ago. Leona knew it was only a matter of time before the police connected the dots. She was carrying a duffel bag, planning to drive to Canada and disappear.
She reached her cheap sedan. Her hands were shaking so badly she dropped her car keys into a puddle.
She bent down to pick them up.
Suddenly, two massive shadows detached themselves from the concrete pillars behind her.
Before Leona could scream, two huge, muscular bodyguards grabbed her arms. Their grips were like iron vises, physically lifting her off the ground and slamming her back against the side of her own car.
No.2
Leona let out a terrified, high-pitched shriek. She kicked her legs, but the men didn't even flinch.
The heavy door of the black SUV slowly swung open.
Elisa stepped out into the dim light. She wore a long, tailored black wool coat. She held a large black umbrella over her head. She walked toward Leona with slow, deliberate steps. She looked like the angel of death.
Alastair stepped out behind her, his massive frame blocking any possible escape route.
Elisa stopped two feet away from Leona. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a waterproof tablet. She tapped the screen and held it up directly in front of Leona's face.
The screen played the high-definition video of Leona prepping the syringe and handing the poison to Allena. It looped endlessly.
Leona stared at the screen. All the blood drained from her face. Her knees buckled. If the
No.3
bodyguards hadn't been holding her up, she would have collapsed into the dirty puddle.
"No," Leona sobbed, shaking her head violently. "It was just saline! It was a routine flush!"
Elisa stared down at her. Her eyes were completely devoid of pity.
"The NYPD Major Case Squad executed a search warrant on your apartment twenty minutes ago,"Elisa stated. Her voice was a flat, freezing blade."They found the empty ampoules of high-concentration allergen in your bathroom trash can."
Leona let out a choked gasp. Her chest heaved as she struggled to breathe.
Elisa leaned forward. She lowered her umbrella slightly, casting her face in deep shadow.
"Attempted murder of a minor," Elisa whispered, the words slicing through the damp air. "That carries a maximum sentence of twenty-five years in New York State. Are you prepared to spend the best years of your life locked in a cell on Rikers Island?"
No.4
The mention of Rikers Island broke Leona completely.
Her psychological defenses shattered. She began to weep hysterically, her tears mixing with the rain
blowing into the garage.
"It wasn't my idea!" Leona screamed, her voice echoing off the concrete walls. "Allena made me do it! She forced me!"
Elisa's jaw tightened. "Keep talking."
"She found out I falsified data on my last clinical trial," Leona sobbed, her words tumbling out in a desperate rush. "She threatened to expose me to the medical board. She said she would destroy my career. Allena was on the phone with me the entire time, whispering every step through an earbud! She told me exactly which allergen to steal! She was watching from a stolen security feed on her own tablet! She forced me to prep the syringe and hand it to her! She told me it was just a micro-dose! She said it would only give the boy a rash to create a distraction so she could get you fired!"
Elisa listened to the confession. Her fingernails dug into the plastic case of the tablet. Allena had gambled with her own brother's life just to win a petty workplace rivalry. The sheer, psychopathic evil of it made Elisa's stomach turn.
No.5
Alastair pulled a digital audio recorder from his pocket. He held it up.
"Repeat everything you just said," Alastair
commanded, his voice a low rumble. "Clearly. For the record."
Leona, broken and terrified, repeated the entire confession into the microphone. She knew her career was over, but she was desperate to secure a plea deal to avoid prison.
An hour later, Elisa and Alastair were back in the warm, bright executive office at Aethel Headquarters.
Alastair hit 'send' on his encrypted laptop.
"The audio confession and the video file have been securely transmitted to the Federal Prosecutor's office," Alastair said, closing the laptop. "The arrest warrant for Allena Mills will be signed by a judge first thing tomorrow morning."
No.6
Elisa stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out over the glittering skyline of New York. The trap had finally snapped shut.
Suddenly, the main console on her desk buzzed with a sharp chime. Her assistant's voice came through the intercom, sounding strained. "Ma'am, a Mr. Arthur Sinclair is on line one. He's being...insistent." Elisa's eyes narrowed. She tapped the speakerphone button.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?"Arthur's voice exploded through thespeaker.He was roaring, his voice thick with arrogant fury."Withdraw this ridiculous lawsuit immediately! Do you have any idea what kind of scandal this will bring to the Sinclair family?"
Allena had obviously run straight to her father,crying and playing the victim, spinning a web of lies about being framed.
Elisa listened to the man who had abandoned her and her dying mother in the mountains. He was using his power to protect the daughter who had stolen her life, while screaming at the daughter who had actually been wronged.
The last, microscopic shred of emotional connection Elisa had to this man instantly vaporized.-S
"Mr. Sinclair," Elisa said. Her voice was so calm,so unnervingly quiet, it made the air in the room feel heavy. "Your daughter committed attempted murder. The evidence is currently sitting on a federal prosecutor's desk."①
No.7
"Lies!" Arthur bellowed, slamming his fist against something hard on his end of the line. "Allena wouldn't hurt a fly! You are just a bitter, jealous woman trying to destroy her because she has the
life you want!"
Elisa let out a short, freezing laugh. It was a sound completely devoid of humor.
"Jealous?" Elisa's voice suddenly dropped an octave, vibrating with pure, lethal intent. "Am I jealous that she is going to be wearing an orange jumpsuit? Or am I jealous that she is going to spend the next two decades rotting in a concrete box?"
Arthur went dead silent on the other end of the line.
Elisa didn't give him a chance to respond. She reached out and tapped the red button, ending the call.
She immediately opened her phone settings and permanently blocked Arthur Sinclair's number.She was done with the past. She was only focused on the execution.