Chapter 3 - The Surgeon Who Was Afraid of a Dead Man
Dr. Mercer closed the patient room door behind him.
"That paper belongs to hospital security," he said.
I kept my hands beneath the chart I was holding.
"I found it under the patient's hand."
"And now you've given it to me."
"I haven't given you anything."
His expression tightened.
Mercer was accustomed to being obeyed. Nurses moved when he entered a room. Residents straightened their backs when he spoke. Administrators laughed at his jokes even when they weren't funny.
He had built his career on the assumption that everyone else would eventually yield.
I was too tired to be intimidated properly.
"Doctor, the patient was terrified before he died. He specifically mentioned Adrian Vale and told me not to involve the police."
Mercer went perfectly still.
"Did he?"
"Yes."
"And what else did he say?"
I realized my mistake too late.
His attention sharpened.
"What did he say, Emma?"
I thought of the paper.
Ask Vale about Grace.
I folded it more tightly inside my fist.
"Nothing else."
Mercer stepped closer.
"Listen carefully. Whatever stories you've heard, whatever criminals this patient may have known, you are a nurse. Your job is to treat patients, not become involved in their affairs."
"I know what my job is."
"Good."
He held out his hand.
"Give me the note."
I hesitated.
Then a monitor alarm sounded in the adjoining room.
A patient needed immediate attention.
The interruption saved me.
I slipped the paper into my pocket and hurried out.
I spent the next two hours trying to convince myself that the entire incident had been a misunderstanding. Criminals mentioned names. Dying patients said strange things. Doctors became frustrated when staff refused to cooperate.
None of that explained why Mercer had looked frightened.
At lunchtime, I took the paper into the staff bathroom and unfolded it.
On the back, someone had written an address and a time.
RAVEN PIER. 11:30 P.M.
Underneath was a final line.
If Grace's name reaches the wrong hands, everyone dies.
I photographed both sides and hid the original inside the lining of my work bag.
Then my phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
You have something that doesn't belong to you.
My heart began pounding.
Another message appeared.
Bring it to the river tonight. Come alone.
I stared at the screen.
A third message followed.
If you tell Adrian, we will know.
I called Maya.
She answered immediately.
"What's wrong?"
"I think somebody is threatening me."
There was a long silence.
Then she whispered, "Emma, don't move."
"What?"
"There's a man outside the nurses' station asking for you."
I left the bathroom.
A stranger in a charcoal coat stood beside the reception desk. His hands were clasped in front of him, and he wore an expression of polite impatience.
When he saw me, he smiled.
"Emma Reed?"
I didn't answer.
He held up a small white envelope.
"Mr. Vale would appreciate a conversation."
My stomach tightened.
"How does he know where I am?"
The man looked almost amused.
"Miss Reed, Mr. Vale knows things people spend their entire lives trying to hide."
He placed the envelope on the counter.
Then he walked away.
Inside was a photograph of me entering my apartment building the previous night.
On the back, six words had been written in neat handwriting.
Don't go to Raven Pier alone.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
Adrian Vale wasn't simply aware of me.
He knew someone intended to lure me to the river.
And somehow, he had learned about it before I had even decided whether to tell anyone.
I turned the photograph over again.
May you like
A second line had been added beneath the first.
Because I won't be there to save you twice.
