Chapter 3 - The Inside Man
Doctors flooded into the room, pushing me out into the chaotic hospital hallway.
I watched through the small window in the door as they desperately injected counter-agents into her IV line.
My mind raced with terrifying possibilities about who could have bypassed the strict hospital security.
My mother was already sitting in a locked police holding cell across town.
That meant the man from the recording was currently here, actively hunting my family.
I sprinted toward the nurses' station to demand a total lockdown of the entire hospital floor.
I grabbed the terrified charge nurse by her shoulders and begged her to call armed security.
"Nobody goes in or out of this wing!" I yelled frantically.
A heavy hand clamped down on my shoulder and violently spun me around.
I expected to see a security guard, but I was staring directly into the eyes of my business partner, Marcus.
"Calm down, Caleb," Marcus said, his voice entirely too smooth for the chaotic situation.
"I came as soon as I heard about Evelyn being arrested."
I stared at him in sheer disbelief, my brain struggling to process his impossible timing.
I had not called anyone from the office, nor had the police released my mother's name to the press yet.
There was absolutely no legitimate way Marcus could have known about the arrest.
I looked down and noticed a faint, chemical stain on the cuff of his expensive custom suit.
It was the exact same pale, milky color as the liquid in the police evidence vial.
Marcus realized my terrifying discovery a fraction of a second too late.
He shoved me violently against the hospital wall and bolted toward the emergency stairwell.
I didn't hesitate, immediately sprinting after him down the long, empty corridor.
I tackled him just as his hand grabbed the heavy metal door handle.
We crashed onto the hard linoleum floor, fighting violently for control.
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Marcus reached into his jacket and pulled out a suppressed handgun, aiming it directly at my chest.
"Your father sends his regards, Caleb," Marcus sneered, his finger tightening on the trigger.
