Chapter 2 - The Whispering Nurse
Adrian dragged Marcus into his private library on the third floor, locking the door securely behind them. Rosa was instructed to take Emma to the safety of the caretaker's cottage near the edge of the estate, away from the security cameras.
“Talk,” Adrian ordered, standing behind his heavy mahogany desk.
Marcus paced nervously. “Six weeks ago, your wife discovered something catastrophic during an internal audit of the Hale Enterprise Charitable Foundation. Over forty million dollars had been siphoned out through a series of shell companies registered in Panama and the Cayman Islands.”
“Who signed off on those transfers?” Adrian demanded.
“Your mother was the primary signature,” Marcus explained. “But she didn't act alone. Dr. Malcolm Reed wasn't just treated as a family physician—he’s the co-owner of a black-market pharmaceutical network that uses untraceable neurotoxins to induce temporary, dementia-like symptoms in high-net-worth individuals.”
Adrian’s mind raced. “They drugged Claire to make her look mentally unstable? To discredit whatever she found?”
“Worse,” Marcus replied. “Claire found out that the money wasn't just being stolen. It was funding illegal clinical trials right here in the state. When Claire threatened to go to the FBI, your mother panicked. Dr. Reed convinced Victoria that if Claire was placed under heavy sedation, they could force her to sign power-of-attorney documents transferring her personal stock holdings back to the family trust.”
“Where is she now?” Adrian took two steps forward, gripping Marcus’s collar tightly. “Where did Reed take her this morning?”
“I don't know the exact address, but I know who was on duty during the transport,” Marcus said, pulling a folded piece of paper from his pocket. “Her name is Nurse Sarah Lin. She was fired by Dr. Reed three hours ago because she refused to administer a lethal dose of Thorazine to Claire. She left the property in tears. This is her personal address in South Boston.”
Adrian grabbed his car keys from the desk. “If you’re lying to me, Marcus, I will ruin you.”
“I’m not lying, sir,” Marcus said, his eyes filled with genuine regret. “I took your mother’s money because she threatened my family. But seeing what she did to little Emma today... I can’t cover for them anymore.”
Thirty minutes later, Adrian’s sleek black sedan screeched to a halt outside a rundown apartment complex in South Boston. Rain had begun to fall, slicking the asphalt and reflecting the neon red neon sign of a nearby diner.
He pounded on the door of apartment 3B.
After a long pause, the door cracked open, held by a heavy brass chain. A tired, pale woman with dark circles under her eyes stared out at him.
“Nurse Lin?” Adrian said, holding up a photograph of Claire. “My name is Adrian Hale. I need to know where my wife is.”
Sarah Lin’s eyes widened in sheer terror. She tried to slam the door, but Adrian shoved his foot into the frame, holding it open by sheer brute force.
“Please!” Sarah wept. “They told me if I talked to anyone, Dr. Reed would revoke my license and have me arrested!”
“Dr. Reed doesn't own the police, Nurse Lin, but I own enough resources to protect you for the rest of your life,” Adrian said, his voice softer now, filled with desperate urgency. “My daughter is home scrubbing her mother’s blood off a shirt. Please... just tell me if my wife is alive.”
Sarah’s shoulders slumped. She unhooked the chain and let him in.
The apartment was filled with unpacked boxes. Sarah was clearly preparing to flee the city. She sat down at a small kitchen table and buried her face in her hands.
“She’s alive, Mr. Hale,” Sarah sobbed. “At least... she was three hours ago. But she’s in terrible danger. Dr. Reed isn't trying to cure her or keep her silent anymore. He’s running out of time. The power-of-attorney papers were signed yesterday under heavy chemical hypnosis.”
Adrian’s stomach turned. “Signed? How?”
“They kept her in a twilight state for weeks,” Sarah explained, shivering. “She didn't know what day it was. But this morning, Claire woke up briefly from the anesthesia. She managed to break a glass vase on the nightstand and tried to fight Dr. Reed off. That’s where the blood came from—she cut her arm badly while defending herself. She managed to grab her bloody shirt and hide it, hoping someone would find it as evidence.”
“Where did Reed take her today?”
Sarah looked up, her lips trembling. “To the abandoned St. Jude’s Sanatorium up north near Blackwood Lake. It’s owned by a dummy company controlled by Reed. He’s preparing to erase her memory completely using an experimental electro-convulsive protocol tonight at midnight.”
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Adrian checked his watch. It was 8:45 PM.
He had three hours to save his wife.
