Chapter 4 - The Poisoned InheritanceThe silence in the interrogation room grew so thick it felt tangible. Daniel stared at his own name printed in bold, elegant cursive at the bottom of the legal document.
"This... this is a forgery," Daniel stammered, shaking his head rapidly. "I didn't know anything about a will. I haven't spoken to Claire about her finances in months. We broke up over a year ago!"
"Oh, you broke up, sure," Noah said, his voice dripping with venom. "You 'amicably parted ways,' but you stayed her primary attending physician. You kept prescribing her those experimental neurological treatments. Treatments that, coincidentally, mimic the exact physiological symptoms of a fatal cardiac arrest."
Detective Miller pulled the document closer, examining the seal. "Dr. Sterling, did you know that Claire's estate is valued at over forty million dollars? And that according to this clause, upon her sudden death, her entire medical research portfolio reverts entirely to the attending physician in charge of her palliative care?"
Daniel felt the room spin. The pieces were clicking together with terrifying precision, forming a picture so dark and monstrous that he could barely breathe.
"I didn't write that," Daniel whispered, his voice shaking. "Someone altered it. Or... or Dr. Vance."
"Vance is missing," Miller stated flatly, checking his wristwatch. "We sent a unit to his estate twenty minutes ago. His house is empty, his safe is blown wide open, and his passport is gone."
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Noah stood up abruptly, leaning over the table until his face was inches from Daniel's. "Vance didn't act alone, Daniel. He needed a doctor with clean hands to sign off on the certificate. A doctor who trusted him blindly. And you walked right into his trap."
Before Daniel could formulate a defense, the overhead lights in the precinct flickered violently, buzzing loudly before plunging the entire room into total darkness.
