Chương 5
“Billions?”
“The research was unfinished.”
“But valuable.”
“Yes.”
Charles leaned back.
“And Lillian owns it?”
“Technically.”
“Technically?”
“The original documents were placed in a trust.”
“Under her name?”
“Yes.”
Charles looked toward the window.
Everything suddenly looked different.
The patch.
The company.
The fake records.
The years of manipulation.
Martin Hale had not been trying to steal a pharmacy.
He had been trying to steal something much bigger.
“Why didn’t Lillian know?”
“Because her father wanted to protect her.”
“From what?”
Warren looked away.
“People like Martin.”
Charles watched his old friend carefully.
“Why did you know?”
Warren closed his eyes.
“Because I found the documents.”
“When?”
“Three months ago.”
Charles immediately noticed the timing.
“The same time Lillian discovered your financial problems.”
Warren nodded.
“I thought the patent could save everything.”
Charles’s expression hardened.
“You thought you could use her inheritance to fix your mistakes.”
Warren looked ashamed.
“Yes.”
The honesty made Charles angrier.
“You were willing to manipulate your wife.”
“I was scared.”
“That is not an excuse.”
“I know.”
Warren’s voice cracked.
“I know exactly what I did.”
Charles looked at him.
“Then why should I believe you now?”
“Because Martin tried to kill her.”
“You said the patch was not meant to kill her.”
“I said that because he wanted people to believe she was dying.”
Charles narrowed his eyes.
“Explain.”
Warren took a slow breath.
“Martin knew about Lillian’s allergy.”
“He knew that a small amount of Dexopraline could trigger a severe reaction.”
“Yes.”
“He knew the hospital would treat it as an emergency.”
“Yes.”
“So what was his plan?”
Warren looked down.
“He wanted everyone focused on saving her.”
Charles waited.
“While he searched her house.”
Charles felt a sudden chill.
“For what?”
“The original trust documents.”
Charles immediately stood.
“When?”
Warren looked at him.
“What?”
“When was he going to search the house?”
“I don’t know.”
“Think.”
Warren rubbed his forehead.
“After she was admitted.”
Charles reached for his phone.
Teresa answered before the first ring ended.
“Charles?”
“I need officers at Lillian’s house immediately.”
“What happened?”
“Someone may be searching for documents.”
There was a brief silence.
“Do you have evidence?”
“I have a confession.”
Teresa’s voice changed.
“From who?”
Charles looked at Warren.
“Warren.”
Another silence followed.
“Are you with him?”
“Yes.”
“Is he cooperating?”
Charles looked at the broken man sitting across from him.
“Yes.”
“Send me the location.”
Charles ended the call.
Warren looked at him.
“You don’t trust me.”
“No.”
The answer came instantly.
“But I believe you’re afraid.”
Warren nodded.
“That’s fair.”
Before they could leave, Charles noticed something.
A man standing outside the coffee shop.
He was looking directly at them.
Older.
Gray hair.
Dark coat.
And a visible scar near his left eye.
Charles froze.
“Warren.”
Warren followed his gaze.
The color drained from his face.
“Martin.”
The man immediately turned away.
Charles pushed back his chair.
“Stay here.”
“No.”
Warren grabbed his arm.
“You don’t understand.”
Charles looked at him.
“Then explain quickly.”
“He doesn’t run unless he has a reason.”
“What reason?”
Warren’s eyes moved toward the door.
“He knows we know.”
The door opened.
The man was gone.
Charles and Warren rushed outside.
But the street was already crowded.
People walked in every direction.
Cars moved through traffic.
The man had disappeared.
Teresa arrived twenty minutes later.
She entered the coffee shop with two officers.
“Where is he?”
“Gone.”
She looked at Charles.
“You’re sure it was Martin Hale?”
Warren nodded.
“Yes.”
Teresa looked at him.
“You are Warren Prescott.”
“Yes.”
“The husband of the victim.”
“Yes.”
“And you’re admitting you knew Martin Hale?”
“Yes.”
“And you withheld that information from investigators.”
Warren looked down.
“Yes.”
Teresa studied him.
“Why should I believe anything you say?”
Warren answered quietly.
“Because everything I did was wrong.”
He looked toward Charles.
“But I did not try to kill my wife.”
Teresa remained silent.
Then her phone rang.
She answered.
“Yes?”
Her expression changed almost immediately.
“What?”
Charles noticed.
“What happened?”
Teresa lowered the phone.
“The house.”
“What about it?”
“The front door was unlocked.”
Charles felt his stomach drop.
“Was anyone inside?”
“We don’t know yet.”
Teresa looked at Warren.
“But someone was there.”
They reached Lillian’s house forty minutes later.
Police vehicles surrounded the property.
The neighborhood had become a scene of flashing lights and quiet questions.
Charles stepped out of the car.
He remembered coming here hundreds of times.
Family dinners.
Holiday celebrations.
Summer evenings on the porch.
Now the same house looked like a place where secrets had been buried.
An officer approached Teresa.
“We found signs of entry.”
“Forced?”
“No.”
“How?”
“The door was opened with a key.”
Charles looked at Warren.
Warren became pale.
“I never gave anyone a key.”
Teresa turned.
“Who had access?”
“No one.”
“Think.”
Warren looked toward the house.
Then he stopped.
“Martin.”
“What?”
“He used to work with Lillian’s father.”
“And?”
“He had access years ago.”
“Years ago?”
“Yes.”
Charles looked confused.
“How could an old key still work?”
Warren’s face changed.
“Because it wasn’t a house key.”
“What was it?”
“The research room.”
Everyone became silent.
“What research room?” Charles asked.
Warren swallowed.
“Lillian’s father built a hidden room in the basement.”
Charles stared at him.
“And you never told anyone?”
“I didn’t know it still existed.”
Teresa motioned toward the house.
“Show us.”
They entered through the front door.
The house was quiet.
Too quiet.
Nothing appeared damaged.
Nothing appeared stolen.
But when they reached the basement, Warren stopped.
At the end of the hallway was a wooden wall.
Charles looked confused.
“There’s nothing there.”
Warren walked closer.
Then he pressed his hand against a small section of the wall.
A hidden mechanism clicked.
The wall slowly opened.
Behind it was a narrow room.
Inside were shelves.
Old files.
Scientific notes.
And an empty space where something had recently been removed.
Teresa walked inside.
“What was kept here?”
Warren stared at the empty shelf.
May you like
“The original patent documents.”
Charles looked at him.
