Chapter 5 - THE WOMAN IN THE STAIRWELL
Mason ran first.
Ethan handed Lucy to Robert and followed.
They reached the stairwell seconds later.
The door slammed somewhere below.
Ethan took the steps two at a time.
“Stop.”
Footsteps echoed beneath them.
Second floor.
First.
Then an emergency exit alarm sounded.
They burst into the rain behind the hospital.
A dark sedan accelerated from the loading area.
Mason pulled out his phone and photographed the license plate.
“Got it.”
Ethan watched the taillights disappear.
“Was that Victoria?”
“No.”
Mason enlarged the image.
“Different woman.”
Robert stepped through the door behind them.
“I've seen her before.”
“Where?”
“With Victoria.”
Robert stared after the car.
“Her name is Dana Cross.”
Mason looked at him.
“Who is she?”
“Private security.”
“For Hale Holdings?”
Robert nodded.
“Officially.”
“And unofficially?”
Robert didn't answer.
Ethan stepped closer.
“Dad.”
Robert exhaled.
“She handled problems.”
“What does that mean?”
“People Graham Hale didn't want talking.”
Ethan's stomach turned.
“Are you saying Victoria sent her here because Olivia is talking?”
“I don't know.”
“You clearly know more than you've admitted.”
Robert looked toward the hospital.
“We need to get Olivia moved.”
Mason agreed.
“Immediately.”
They returned upstairs.
Doctors had stabilized Olivia.
Lucy sat beside her, holding her fingers.
Ethan spoke privately with the attending physician and requested a transfer to a secured floor.
The doctor didn't argue after Mason identified himself as legal counsel and explained there might be a safety concern.
Within thirty minutes, Olivia was moved to a private oncology unit with controlled access.
Ethan stayed outside the door while Mason called an investigator.
Robert remained several feet away.
Nobody spoke to him.
Finally, Lucy emerged.
“She's awake.”
Ethan went inside.
Olivia looked exhausted.
“What happened?”
“Someone connected to Victoria was here.”
Fear flashed across Olivia's face.
“Dana?”
Ethan stopped.
“You know her.”
Olivia nodded weakly.
“She delivered some of the checks.”
“Did she ever threaten you?”
“Not directly.”
“What did she do?”
“Watched.”
“When?”
“Outside Lucy's school.”
Ethan's jaw clenched.
“Outside our apartment.”
Olivia continued.
“Once at the grocery store.”
Lucy lowered her eyes.
“I saw her too.”
Ethan turned.
“When?”
“A lot.”
“Why didn't you tell your mom?”
“I thought she was just someone from the neighborhood.”
Ethan looked back at Olivia.
“Did Victoria know you were sick?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
Olivia's face hardened.
“She visited me three months ago.”
Ethan felt the blood drain from his face.
“She came to you?”
“Yes.”
“What did she want?”
“For me to sign something.”
“What?”
“A statement saying Lucy's father was a man named Aaron Blake.”
“Who is Aaron Blake?”
“My old college boyfriend.”
“Is he Lucy's father?”
“No.”
“Where is he?”
“Dead.”
The room went silent.
Olivia continued.
“He died six years ago.”
“So she wanted you to name a dead man.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you were getting married.”
Ethan understood.
Victoria wanted the last possible threat removed before the wedding.
“What did you tell her?”
“I told her no.”
“What did she do?”
“She smiled.”
Olivia's eyes filled with fear.
“She said I should think about what would happen to Lucy if I died without making arrangements.”
Ethan looked at his daughter.
Lucy had gone pale.
He immediately softened his voice.
“Lucy, go sit with Mason for a minute.”
“I want to stay.”
“Please.”
She hesitated.
Then left.
Ethan returned to Olivia.
“Did Victoria threaten Lucy?”
“She didn't have to say the words.”
Ethan looked toward the door.
Everything had changed.
This was no longer simply about a ruined wedding.
It was about eleven years of intimidation.
Financial coercion.
Intercepted letters.
Surveillance.
And possibly something worse.
Mason entered with his phone in hand.
“We identified the sedan.”
“Dana?”
“Registered to a security company controlled by a Hale subsidiary.”
Ethan wasn't surprised.
Mason continued.
“And I found something else.”
“What?”
“The hospital received a request yesterday for Olivia's complete medical records.”
Olivia stared at him.
“From who?”
Mason turned the screen around.
The authorization had been submitted through Hale Family Foundation Legal Services.
Ethan read the name at the bottom.
Victoria Hale.
His expression became cold.
“She knew Olivia might die tonight.”
May you like
Mason nodded.
“And she scheduled the wedding anyway.”
