Chapter 6 - Blood in the Dark
Hook:
“Mom hid it inside my Lego Millennium Falcon two days before she fell asleep,” Toby whispered in the passenger seat of my truck.
Conflict:
The windshield wipers slapped frantically against the glass as torrential rain battered the Ford F-150. I sat parked three blocks from the hospital, the engine idling, my hands gripping the steering wheel until the leather creaked.
“What did she tell you when she gave it to you, Toby?”
“She said, ‘If Mommy gets sick, don't give this to Uncle Mark. Give it to Detective Elena.’”
Discovery:
Elena Cruz. Sarah’s closest college friend and a senior investigator with the State Bureau of Investigation. Two months ago, when Sarah collapsed, Elena had been out of state on a federal task force. She had just returned to the city last week.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Elena’s private cell. It picked up on the second ring.
“Leo? It’s almost ten. Is Sarah okay?”
“She’s being poisoned, Elena,” I said, my voice cracking under the weight of the nightmare. “Mark and Robert Vance are keeping her in a medically induced coma. They just pushed an unlabeled sedative into her central line, and Mark just brought up a five-million-dollar insurance policy.”
Twist:
There was a long, dead silence on the line. When Elena spoke, all the warmth was gone from her voice. “Where are you right now?”
“Three blocks from Mercy General.”
“Don't go home,” Elena ordered sharply. “Drive to the 24-hour diner on 8th and Elm. Go to the back booth. And Leo? Did Mark see you leave with anything?”
Emotion:
I looked down at the encrypted flash drive in my lap. “Toby had Sarah’s backup drive.”
Cliffhanger:
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“God damn it,” Elena whispered, genuine panic bleeding into her tone. “Check your rearview mirror right now, Leo. Are you being followed?”
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