Chapter 10 - The Autopsy of an Empire
The fallout was catastrophic and swift.
Julian Sterling was charged with attempted murder, corporate fraud, and six counts of manslaughter. He was denied bail.
Dr. Arthur Pendelton was arrested at his private clinic while attempting to shred patient files. He flipped immediately, testifying against the Sterling family in exchange for a lighter sentence.
Archibald Sterling tried to distance himself, but the paper trail on the micro-USB proved he had funded the cover-up. The FDA halted all Sterling Pharma operations, and the company’s stock plummeted to zero within forty-eight hours. The empire was dead.
Three months later.
The morgue was quiet. The soft hum of the ventilation system was a comforting, familiar sound.
Elias Thorne stood over an empty stainless-steel table, finishing his paperwork for the day. The doors to the suite swung open, and Sarah walked in, smiling.
"You have a visitor," she said.
Clara walked in. She looked different now. The pale, terrified girl was gone. She looked radiant, powerful, and deeply alive.
"I just came from the courthouse," Clara said, leaning against the doorframe. "Julian plead guilty. Twenty-five to life."
Elias smiled warmly. "I'm glad to hear it. What will you do now?"
"I'm going back to school," she said. "I think I want to study law. Someone has to keep the corporations honest." She walked over and hugged Elias tightly. "Thank you, Dr. Thorne. For not giving up on me when everyone else said I was gone."
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"You did the hard part, Clara," Elias said, patting her back. "You survived."
As Clara left the morgue, stepping out into the bright Seattle afternoon, Elias turned back to his desk. He picked up his scalpel, cleaned it carefully, and placed it in its case. The dead always had secrets to tell, but every once in a while, it was a profound honor to help the living find their voice.
