Chapter 14 - Hannah's Last Night
Dr. Rusk was brought back for questioning.
He looked destroyed.
"Mercer told me she was a protected patient and needed a sedative before imaging."
"Were you her doctor?"
"No."
"Did you examine her?"
"No."
Daniel stood.
Ortiz stopped him with one look.
"I don't know."
"Try harder."
Rusk broke.
"Marcus called me the next morning. He said the problem had solved itself."
"Hannah Sutton."
Silence.
Rusk started crying.
"I thought they meant the complaint. I swear."
Ortiz reopened hospital surveillance archives.
Most footage from Hannah's final night had been deleted years earlier.
One loading-dock camera remained on a backup server.
At 1:14 a.m., Marcus entered the hospital through a service corridor.
At 2:02, he left.
At 2:17, Hannah crashed.
It was not proof of murder.
But it was enough to widen the investigation.
Thomas Vale asked for a lawyer and stopped talking.
Mercer claimed memory problems.
Claire remained missing.
Then Marcus made his first mistake.
He used one of Brightwood's shell-company fuel cards at a station near the state line.
Police found the vehicle abandoned beside a motel.
Inside: blood on the passenger seat.
Claire's.
Daniel felt no sympathy for the woman who hurt Sophie.
But he did not want her dead.
Not because of Claire.
Because Sophie had already been taught adults disappeared when they made someone angry.
Daniel refused to let that lesson become true again.
Ortiz traced a motel security clip.
Claire limped across the parking lot with her arm wrapped in a towel.
Marcus followed her.
He was furious.
No audio.
But Claire turned and pointed directly at the camera.
Then she mouthed something.
Ortiz enhanced the frame.
Laura read her lips first.
"He killed Hannah."
Daniel stopped breathing.
In the next frame, Marcus saw what Claire had done.
He reached for her.
The video cut.
Then Daniel's phone rang from Claire's number.
May you like
A man's voice said:
"If you want the truth about your first wife, come alone."
