Chapter 9 - The Sister in the White Corridor
Security footage showed Brooke entering the hospital disguised as a chemotherapy patient.
She wore a mask, a knit cap, and a loose white coat. She entered Natalie’s room during the confusion caused by the fire alarm.
But she did not remove Natalie alone.
A nurse helped her.
The nurse’s badge identified her as Caroline Reed.
No employee by that name existed.
The women pushed Natalie’s bed into a service elevator and disappeared into the underground loading area.
A white medical van left the hospital three minutes later.
Ethan stood in the security office watching the footage repeatedly.
Natalie had just undergone surgery.
She was unconscious, connected to an oxygen line, and unable to protect herself.
Robert stood behind him.
“Brooke needs her alive.”
“For how long?”
“Until the trust transfer is complete.”
“When?”
“Tonight at midnight.”
Ethan turned.
“You said the transfer should have happened months ago.”
“It was delayed because Havenbridge challenged Natalie’s identity.”
“Why tonight?”
“Because the biopsy provided genetic confirmation.”
The biopsy Natalie had sold her hair to afford.
The test Lorraine refused to pay for.
Someone had used the tissue to prove Natalie’s identity while simultaneously delaying her treatment.
“Where would they take her?”
“Havenbridge maintains private clinics.”
“How many?”
“Three in this state.”
Mills entered with a map.
“The medical van passed a traffic camera heading north.”
Robert looked at the route.
“They’re going to Briar Glen.”
“What’s there?”
“A research facility disguised as a rehabilitation center.”
Federal agents prepared a raid.
Ethan insisted on joining.
Mills refused until Ethan showed him the tracking receiver Dr. Vargas had recovered from Natalie’s implanted capsule.
“The capsule is no longer inside her,” Mills said.
“No, but whoever placed it may have put another tracker in her clothing or medical equipment.”
Robert studied the receiver.
“Havenbridge devices communicate through a closed-frequency relay.”
“Can you access it?”
“I designed the original system.”
For the first time, Robert’s past became useful.
He connected the receiver to a laptop and searched for nearby signals.
A faint transmission appeared north of the city.
Moving.
Then it stopped near Briar Glen.
The facility was surrounded before dusk.
It looked more like an expensive country club than a clinic. White buildings stood among tall trees. A fountain sparkled beside the entrance.
No patients appeared outside.
No signs mentioned Havenbridge.
Agents entered through the main gate.
The building was empty.
Beds were stripped.
Computers had been removed.
Medical equipment stood unplugged in silent rooms.
In the basement, they found a corridor with twelve locked doors.
Each room contained restraints, cameras, and cabinets filled with labeled tissue samples.
Natalie’s name appeared on one cabinet.
So did Brooke’s.
Ethan opened the final door.
Natalie lay on a bed beneath bright surgical lights.
Her wrists were strapped down.
A transparent bag hung above her IV.
Brooke stood beside the bed holding a syringe.
“Drop it!” Mills shouted.
Brooke turned.
Tears streamed down her face.
“I’m trying to save her.”
Ethan rushed forward.
Brooke held the syringe near the IV line.
“Stay back.”
“What’s in it?”
“Something to keep her alive.”
“What?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then put it down.”
“If I stop, they’ll kill both of us.”
“Who?”
Brooke looked toward the observation window.
The glass was dark.
“No one is there,” Ethan said.
“They’re always there.”
Robert entered the room.
Brooke saw him and screamed.
“You!”
She threw the syringe at him.
It struck the floor and shattered.
“You ruined everything,” she shouted.
Robert did not move.
“Where is Lorraine?”
Brooke laughed hysterically.
“You still think she’s Lorraine?”
Ethan remembered the letter.
Do not trust the woman wearing Lorraine’s face.
Brooke backed toward Natalie.
“The woman who raised us is dead.”
Ethan stared at her.
“What are you talking about?”
“She died six months ago.”
“That’s impossible.”
“I saw the body.”
“The woman at our house…”
“Her name is Elaine Mercer. She worked with Havenbridge. She had surgeries. Dental work. Voice training.”
Robert closed his eyes.
“I should have known.”
Brooke looked at him with hatred.
“You never know anything until people are already dead.”
Ethan stepped closer.
“Why replace Lorraine?”
“To control the trust. To keep me obedient. To keep Natalie isolated.”
“Why did you help her?”
“I didn’t know at first.”
“You bought the SUV.”
“They gave it to me.”
“You stopped Natalie from calling me.”
Brooke’s face twisted.
“They said they would kill my son.”
Ethan froze.
“You don’t have a son.”
Brooke began sobbing.
“Yes, I do.”
She pointed toward the dark observation window.
“They took him when he was born. Lorraine told everyone he died.”
The glass suddenly brightened.
Behind it stood a little boy, perhaps six years old.
His hand pressed against the window.
May you like
Beside him was Miriam Vale.
She held a gun to the child’s head.
