Chapter 3: The Knife Beside My Bed
The knife was only inches from my face.
Blood dripped from its tip onto the white hospital floor.
For one terrible second, I couldn't move.
Then I looked at the hand holding it.
A gold wedding ring.
My eyes traveled upward.
It was Nurse Melissa.
The same nurse who had been checking my incision that morning.
The same woman who had held Nora only minutes earlier.
The same woman I had trusted to protect my children.
She stared at me.
“Don't scream.”
I stared at the knife.
“Where is my husband?”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I told you.”
“You said he was dead.”
“I saw him.”
My heart pounded.
“You saw Ethan?”
She nodded.
“An hour ago.”
“Where?”
“Under the hospital.”
I didn't understand.
“What?”
Melissa glanced toward the door.
“There's an old service tunnel beneath this wing.”
Daniel suddenly appeared behind her.
“Put the knife down.”
Melissa spun around.
Daniel had his firearm drawn.
Every security officer in the room froze.
“Slowly,” Daniel ordered.
Melissa's hand trembled.
“You don't understand.”
“I understand that you're holding a knife next to a woman who just had surgery.”
“I wasn't going to hurt her.”
“Put it down.”
Melissa looked at me.
Then she whispered,
“They're coming.”
“Who?”
“Karen.”
The name seemed to drain the warmth from the room.
Daniel's voice became colder.
“Where is she?”
“I don't know.”
“You've seen her.”
Melissa shook her head.
“I've never met her face-to-face.”
“Then how do you know she's here?”
Melissa looked at the security cameras.
“Because she owns the hospital.”
Nobody spoke.
Daniel's expression changed.
“What?”
“Not officially.”
Melissa lowered the knife.
“But she controls people here.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Put the knife on the floor.”
Melissa slowly placed it down.
An officer immediately grabbed her wrists.
“Search her.”
They found a small electronic keycard in her pocket.
Daniel stared at it.
“What does this open?”
Melissa swallowed.
“The lower level.”
“There is no lower level on the hospital plans.”
“There is now.”
Daniel looked at me.
I knew exactly what he was thinking.
Someone had built a hidden section beneath the hospital.
And someone was using it.
For what?
I looked at Melissa.
“You said you saw Ethan.”
“Yes.”
“Was he alive?”
She hesitated.
Then nodded.
“When?”
“About forty minutes ago.”
Relief hit me so violently that I nearly collapsed.
“He's alive.”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
Melissa pointed toward the floor.
“Below us.”
Daniel immediately turned to his officers.
“Seal every elevator and stairwell.”
Then he looked at me.
“Judge Carter, you need to stay here.”
“No.”
“You've just undergone major surgery.”
“My husband is being held underneath this hospital.”
“You cannot go down there.”
“I can.”
Daniel shook his head.
“Not safely.”
I looked directly into his eyes.
“You just told me my husband might still be alive.”
“Yes.”
“Then I'm going.”
He started to object.
I interrupted him.
“Daniel.”
He stopped.
“I am not asking.”
For the first time, he smiled faintly.
Not because the situation was funny.
Because he understood.
The woman who had been slapped an hour ago was gone.
I was still in pain.
Still bleeding.
Still barely able to stand.
But I was no longer afraid.
Daniel turned to one of the officers.
“Bring a wheelchair.”
Within seconds, they moved me into it.
Before we left, I looked at Margaret.
She was sitting on the floor, surrounded by officers.
“Do you know where Karen is?”
Margaret looked at me.
Then she whispered,
“She isn't your biggest problem.”
I stopped.
“What does that mean?”
Margaret's eyes filled with tears.
“Karen didn't order Ethan's kidnapping.”
“Then who did?”
Margaret looked at Daniel.
Then back at me.
“The person who ordered it is someone you know.”
My stomach tightened.
“Who?”
Margaret shook her head.
“I can't say.”
“Why?”
“Because if I say his name, he'll know I betrayed him.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Who?”
Margaret looked terrified.
Then the hospital alarm sounded.
A deep siren echoed through the entire building.
Everyone froze.
Daniel grabbed his radio.
“Security, report.”
Static.
Then a voice came through.
“Chief... we've lost cameras on floors seven through nine.”
Daniel's face darkened.
“Lock down the hospital.”
“We tried.”
“What do you mean, you tried?”
“The system won't accept the command.”
Daniel looked at me.
Someone had taken control of the hospital security network.
Then another voice came through the radio.
This one was whispering.
“Chief Ruiz...”
Daniel raised the radio.
“Identify yourself.”
A pause.
Then:
“Check Room 914.”
Daniel frowned.
“We're in Room 914.”
“No.”
The voice became distorted.
“Check the other Room 914.”
Daniel looked at me.
There was no other Room 914.
At least there shouldn't have been.
Then Melissa began crying.
“It's the old wing.”
Daniel turned toward her.
“What old wing?”
“The original hospital.”
She pointed toward a wall.
“There used to be another building here before the renovation.”
Daniel looked at the wall.
I noticed something.
A faint vertical line.
A hidden door.
He walked toward it.
Ran his fingers across the surface.
Then found a small keypad.
A green light blinked.
Daniel entered his security code.
The wall opened.
Behind it was a narrow concrete corridor descending into darkness.
Cold air rushed into the room.
And there was something else.
A smell.
Blood.
Fresh blood.
Daniel drew his weapon.
“Stay behind me.”
We entered.
The corridor was barely wide enough for the wheelchair.
Old fluorescent lights flickered overhead.
We went down one level.
Then another.
Then another.
At the bottom, we found a steel door.
There was a camera above it.
Daniel looked up.
The camera turned toward me.
Then a speaker crackled.
A woman's voice came through.
Calm.
Almost cheerful.
“Hello, Judge Carter.”
I froze.
Karen.
“You've been very difficult.”
Daniel shouted,
“Release Ethan Whitmore.”
The woman laughed.
“Chief Ruiz, you should be more careful.”
Daniel raised his weapon toward the camera.
“You're under arrest.”
Another laugh.
“You still think this is a hostage situation.”
I stared at the camera.
“What do you want?”
Silence.
Then the door unlocked.
It opened slowly.
Inside was a small room.
There was a chair.
A table.
And a single photograph.
I recognized the photograph immediately.
It was Ethan.
But he wasn't tied to the chair.
He was lying on the floor.
His shirt was covered in blood.
My heart stopped.
“No.”
I tried to stand.
Daniel grabbed my shoulder.
“Judge Carter, wait.”
I stared through the doorway.
Then I noticed something.
The blood wasn't coming from Ethan.
It was coming from the man lying beside him.
A dead man.
I recognized him.
So did Daniel.
He stepped closer.
“That's impossible.”
“What?”
Daniel stared at the body.
“Charles Whitmore.”
I felt the room spin.
Charles had supposedly been dead for three years.
Yet there he was.
Dead again.
Beside my husband.
Then Ethan slowly lifted his head.
His eyes found mine.
“Mara...”
I nearly cried.
“Ethan.”
He tried to crawl toward me.
Daniel rushed inside and pulled him away from the body.
“Are you injured?”
Ethan shook his head.
“Not badly.”
I stared at Charles's body.
“How?”
Ethan looked at me.
“You need to leave.”
“No.”
“Now.”
“Ethan, what happened?”
He grabbed my wrist.
His face was pale.
“Your name wasn't on their list.”
I didn't understand.
“What list?”
He looked toward the ceiling.
Then whispered,
“They weren't planning to take your baby.”
My heart stopped.
“What were they planning to take?”
Ethan's eyes filled with terror.
“You.”
A loud metallic click echoed from behind us.
May you like
The steel door slammed shut.
And somewhere in the darkness, someone began applauding.
