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The audio file on Marina’s phone was timestamped three minutes ago. Ignacio’s thumb hovered over the screen, trembling so violently he nearly dropped the device into the crib. / Chapter 3 / 20

Chapter 3 - The Secret Locker

Dawn hadn't broken yet when Ignacio pulled his truck into the deserted parking lot of St. Jude Memorial Hospital. The rain poured in sheets, battering the windshield as he stared up at the massive brick building where Marina had drawn her last breath.

He couldn't go through the main entrance; security logs would track him. Instead, he forced open the side service door using a heavy crowbar from his truck bed, slipping into the sterile, bleach-scented corridors that now haunted his nightmares.

He navigated the labyrinthine basement levels toward the staff lockers. Marina’s locker—number 412—sat near the end of a dim hallway.

His hands shook as he punched in the six-digit numerical code: April’s birthday, formatted backward. Click.

The metal door swung open. Inside hung her spare white lab coat, a half-empty bottle of perfume that still smelled faintly of jasmine, and a small, magnetic black box stuck to the top interior shelf. Ignacio pried it off. Inside lay a tiny silver USB drive.

"Looking for something, Ignacio?"

Ignacio spun around. Standing at the end of the aisle was Dr. Silva himself, holding a sleek, heavy silver scalpel in his right hand, smiling with a terrifying, calm assurance.

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"You killed her," Ignacio growled, his knuckles white around the USB drive.

"Marina was brilliant," Dr. Silva said smoothly, taking a slow step forward. "Too brilliant. She discovered that our pharmaceutical trials were using unapproved coagulants. She threatened to expose the entire operation the night she went into labor. So... we simply ensured her delivery had a few 'complications.' And now, you’ve walked right into the lions' den."

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