Chapter 3 - The Interrogation Room's SecretThe metal table in Interrogation Room B was cold against my forearms. For three hours, I sat handcuffed to a bolted-down ring, watching the one-way mirror.
The door finally clicked open. It wasn't Sergeant Miller who walked in.
It was a tall, sharp-featured woman in a charcoal-gray tailored suit, carrying a thick manila folder stamped CONFIDENTIAL — INTERNAL AFFAIRS / MAJOR CRIMES. She tossed the folder onto the table with a dull thud.
"Ethan Davis," she said, pulling out a sleek silver pen. "My name is Detective Rachel Vance. And before you start screaming about your rights, let me tell you something that will save us both a lot of time: I know Marlene Whitaker is a monster."
I blinked, the adrenaline spiking in my chest. "Then why am I the one in cuffs?"
Detective Vance pulled out an identical piece of paper to the one I found in Marlene’s purse—only this one was an original carbon copy.
"Because Marlene Whitaker isn't just a retired schoolteacher," Vance said, leaning forward, her eyes narrowing. "For the last twelve years, she has been the silent financial benefactor and board trustee of St. Jude Memorial Hospital. She has three doctors in her pocket, a battalion of corporate lawyers, and—until today—a clean record. But more importantly... Clara isn't her only daughter."
My breath hitched. "What are you talking about?"
"Ten years ago, your wife’s older sister, Sarah, died under identical circumstances in the exact same hospital," Vance whispered. "Official cause of death: accidental overdose of post-operative painkillers. The beneficiary of Sarah's two-million-dollar life insurance policy? Marlene Whitaker."
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The room seemed to spin. Clara wasn't just having a routine surgery. She was scheduled to receive a massive inheritance from an uncle who had passed away last month—an inheritance Marlene was legally cut out of, unless Clara died intestate before updating her will.
"She's doing it again," I choked out, rattling the handcuffs. "Clara is in room 304 right now. If we don't get there in the next twenty minutes, my wife is going to die."
