hapter 9
Chapter 9
I helped her into her room.
The moment I opened the door, my phone rang.
It was the middle–aged policeman. His voice was steady, yet there was an undercurrent of something he was trying hard to suppress–an unease that prickled at my nerves.
“Where are you? Is your boss with you?”
I glanced at the woman I had just brought in, the timing uncanny. I stepped into the bathroom and locked the door behind me.
“Yes, she just arrived. We’re at the hotel I mentioned earlier. I’m with her now.”
There was a pause, long enough for me to notice my own heartbeat quicken.
“You’re in the same room?” he asked, his tone sharper now
I frowned, puzzled. “Yeah, why? What’s wrong?”
Before the words fully left my mouth, I heard the sound of running footsteps on his end.
“Listen to me,” he said, his voice lowering into something almost urgent. “Find a reason to leave the room. Go back to your own, lock the door, and don’t open it for anyone until I get there. Understand?”
A chill ran down my spine, leaving goosebumps in its wake. My heart thudded so loudly it almost drowned out his voice. I had a suspicion—a horrible, creeping suspicion—but I needed him to confirm it.
“W–what’s going on?” I stammered. “Can you tell me what’s happening?”
I heard the faint sound of a car engine roaring to life. His silence stretched, then he spoke, his words deliberate.
“I’m not saying this to scare you, but I have my doubts. You need to stay calm.”
I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “Tell me.”
There was another pause, longer this time. The engine revved loudly before he spoke again.
“Your boss–she has kidney disease, right? And she’s RH–negative blood.”
As soon as the words landed, a knock came from the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
My boss’s voice followed, light and casual, but somehow terrifying. “Valerie, are you done with your call? I need to use the sink.”
I turned. Her face was pressed against the frosted glass of the bathroom door, her outline faint but unmistakable. She was trying to open it.
In that instant, everything clicked.
The out–of–town business trip was just a pretext. She’d orchestrated all of this, pulling me away from familiar ground.
Judging by the desperation in her actions, her condition must have worsened–so much so that she was ready to
make her move. On me.
