Chapter 6 - The Poisoned Apple.
Marcus stumbled backward away from the table, swearing profusely that he had absolutely no idea how his name got there.
Clara stared at him with deep suspicion, wondering if she had just traded one evil mastermind for another.
She quickly realized that Arthur was playing a massive, intricate game of chess.
Arthur had intentionally framed Marcus, perfectly anticipating that the investigator would eventually try to steal the ledger.
They agreed that the only way to prove the ledger was fraudulently altered was to find the man who forged it.
Marcus knew the identity of Arthur's personal forensic accountant, a paranoid hacker named Julian.
They immediately drove to a rundown, neon-lit motel on the dangerous outskirts of the city to find him.
Marcus kicked the cheap wooden door off its hinges, sweeping the dark room with his drawn pistol.
The motel room was completely trashed, with papers, broken glass, and overturned furniture scattered everywhere.
Julian was lying in the center of the stained carpet, violently gasping for air and clutching his throat.
Thick, white foam was rapidly bubbling from his lips, a clear sign of acute, lethal poisoning.
Clara rushed to his side, desperately trying to roll him over to clear his blocked airway.
Julian reached up with a violently trembling, cold hand and grabbed the fabric of Clara's shirt.
His eyes were wild with sheer panic as he looked past Clara toward the open doorway.
With his final, agonizing breath, Julian pointed a rigid finger directly at Clara's chest.
He loudly gasped out to the empty room that she was the one who had poisoned him.
May you like
His eyes immediately rolled back into his head, and his body went completely limp on the floor.
Before Clara could even process the horrific accusation, the wail of approaching police sirens filled the night air.
