Chapter 8: The Voice on the Hospital Line
“Where is he?””
Patricia was already standing before the security officer finished speaking.
“Where is my nephew?””
The officer glanced at Nia.
“The intensive care unit has requested that the family wait until the attending physician confirms the patient's condition.””
Patricia grabbed the edge of the table.
“Please. I haven't heard his voice in days. I was told he was dead.””
Nia placed a steadying hand on her shoulder.
“We're going to get answers.””
Victor moved toward the corridor.
Nia turned sharply.
“Mr. Hale, stay where you are.””
“I need to make a call.””
“You've made several. You can wait.””
“This is a medical emergency.””
“Then you should have no objection to letting the medical staff speak first.””
Victor's face reddened.
“You cannot keep me here.””
“I'm not detaining you. But I won't allow you to interfere with a patient or intimidate his family.””
The security officer stepped beside the door.
Victor looked at him, then at Nia.
“You have no idea how much damage you're causing.””
Nia's expression remained cold.
“I'm beginning to understand how much damage someone has already caused.””
The officer's phone rang.
He answered, listened, and looked at Patricia.
“Ms. Brooks, the intensive care physician can speak with you now. They need to confirm your relationship to the patient before discussing details.””
Patricia nodded rapidly.
“Yes. Of course.””
She followed him into the corridor.
Nia started after her, but stopped when she noticed Victor reaching for the manila envelope.
“Leave it.””
He froze.
“I was moving it out of the way.””
“Then move your hand.””
He withdrew it.
Nia collected the envelope and placed it in the security officer's custody, asking that it remain untouched until the hospital could arrange a secure handoff to the appropriate investigators.
Then she looked at Victor.
“You're going to explain your relationship to Daniel Brooks.””
Victor stared at her.
“I barely knew him.””
“Your company employed him.””
“I oversee executives, contracts, and operations. I don't personally supervise mechanics.””
“Yet you knew enough to visit Maya's hospital room and demand that she accept all blame.””
“I was protecting the company.””
“From a mechanic?””
Victor said nothing.
Nia stepped closer.
“Or from whatever he discovered?””
Victor looked toward the corridor.
“General, there are things about this situation you don't understand.””
“Then start explaining.””
Before he could answer, Nia's phone rang.
The caller ID identified the intensive care unit.
She answered.
“This is General Carter.””
A physician introduced herself and explained that Daniel Brooks was conscious but critically injured. He had been brought to the hospital under an emergency identification protocol after being transferred from another medical facility.
Nia listened carefully.
“Can he speak?””
“Briefly, with assistance. He's asking for Maya.””
“Is he safe?””
The physician paused.
“We've restricted access to his room while we verify the circumstances of his transfer. Someone attempted to obtain information about his condition without authorization.””
Nia's eyes moved toward Victor.
“Who?””
“We're reviewing the access records. I cannot provide a name yet.””
“Please make sure his identity and location are shared only with authorized personnel and his verified family.””
“We're doing that now.””
Nia ended the call.
Victor watched her.
“You've made this much more complicated than it needed to be.””
Nia put her phone away.
“You keep saying that as if the problem is people asking questions.””
“Questions have consequences.””
“So does silence.””
A hospital staff member appeared in the doorway.
“General Carter? The physician has arranged a brief call with Daniel. His condition may change quickly, so she wants to keep it short.””
Nia nodded.
“Thank you.””
She turned toward Victor.
“Do not approach Maya or Patricia while I'm away. Hospital security will remain here.””
“I have no intention of speaking to either of them.””
“Good.””
Nia followed the staff member to a small consultation station near the intensive care unit. Patricia was already there, seated beside the phone, her hands clasped so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.
The physician explained that Daniel would speak only if he felt able.
Patricia leaned toward the handset.
“Daniel? Baby, can you hear me?””
At first, there was only static and the faint rhythm of a monitor.
Then a weak voice answered.
“Aunt Pat?””
Patricia began to cry.
“Oh, sweetheart. Oh, thank God.””
“Don't cry.””
“I thought you were gone.””
“I'm sorry.””
“Where have you been? They told us you were dead.””
Daniel took a strained breath.
“They lied.””
Nia exchanged a look with the physician.
Patricia wiped her cheeks.
“Are you safe?””
“I don't know.””
“Daniel, what happened?””
A pause.
Then Daniel whispered, “Did Maya get the phone?””
Patricia looked at Nia.
“Yes. She has it.””
“Did she play the video?””
“No.””
“Good. Don't let them play it on a networked device.””
Nia leaned closer to the handset.
“Daniel, this is General Nia Carter. Maya is safe with me. Can you tell us why the recording matters?””
The line crackled.
“Who else is there?””
“Only your aunt, the physician, and me.””
“Is Victor there?””
“No.””
Daniel exhaled shakily.
“He'll come back.””
“Why?””
“Because the video shows what happened before the crash.””
Nia kept her voice calm.
“Were you driving?””
“Yes.””
“Who was the passenger?””
Daniel went silent.
“Daniel?”” Patricia pleaded.
“Please, tell us.””
“The passenger wasn't supposed to be in that vehicle.””
Nia glanced at the physician, who had begun watching the monitor more closely.
“Who was it?””
Daniel's voice grew weaker.
“Someone who knew about the inspection records. Someone who had copies of the original files.””
“What's the person's name?””
“Evelyn Price.””
Nia recognized the name from a recent briefing involving an internal compliance investigation. Evelyn Price was a senior financial auditor contracted to review irregularities in transportation expenses. Her sudden disappearance had been noted in a report, but no verified connection to the accident had been established.
“Daniel, did Evelyn survive the crash?””
“I don't know.””
“You said the passenger was transported separately.””
“I saw them take her.””
“Who took her?””
Daniel struggled to breathe.
“I heard Victor say she was still alive.””
Patricia pressed a hand to her mouth.
Nia leaned closer.
“Daniel, where was she taken?””
“I don't know. But I heard them say—”
The monitor in the background began beeping more rapidly.
The physician immediately stepped in.
“Daniel, I need you to rest. Can you hear me?””
Daniel's breathing became ragged.
“Tell Maya,” he whispered.
“Tell her what?”” Nia asked.
“That I didn't leave her.””
Patricia began sobbing again.
“Daniel, you didn't leave us. You hear me? You didn't leave us.””
The line crackled.
Daniel's voice returned, barely audible.
“The passenger seat was empty when they found the car.””
Nia went still.
“What do you mean?””
“They moved her before the first responders arrived.””
The physician interrupted.
“We need to end the call now.””
“Daniel,” Nia said quickly, “did Victor order the transfer?””
A strained breath came through the phone.
Then Daniel spoke three final words.
“Ask Malcolm Reed.””
The call ended.
Patricia sat motionless, tears running down her face.
Nia thanked the physician and asked that Daniel's statement be documented through the hospital's established procedures. She also requested that the physician alert the appropriate authorities about the reported transfer and the concerns regarding unauthorized access.
Then she turned to Patricia.
“Did Daniel ever mention Evelyn Price to you?””
Patricia shook her head.
“No. But he told me he had given copies of the records to someone he trusted.””
“Who?””
“He never told me the name.””
Nia's phone vibrated.
A message had arrived from the hospital security supervisor.
*Mr. Hale has left the observation area. Malcolm Reed is missing from the building.*
Nia immediately called security.
“Find out whether Reed left voluntarily, and preserve the relevant access records. Don't confront him without authorization.””
She ended the call.
Patricia looked at her.
“What happens now?””
Nia's jaw tightened.
“Now we find out where Evelyn Price was taken.””
She returned to Maya's room.
Maya was sitting upright, the damaged phone in her lap. The nurse remained beside the bed, and the observation blind was still partially closed.
The moment Maya saw Nia's expression, she knew something had changed.
“Was it Daniel?””
Nia sat beside her.
“Yes.””
Maya's mouth trembled.
“Is he alive?””
“He is. He's receiving intensive care, and his condition is serious. But he spoke to us.””
Maya pressed her hand over her mouth.
A broken sob escaped her.
“He said anything?””
Nia nodded.
“He wanted you to know he didn't leave you.””
Maya bent forward, crying into the blanket.
Nia waited until she could breathe again.
Then she explained that Daniel had identified a passenger named Evelyn Price and said someone had moved her before the first responders arrived.
Maya slowly lifted her head.
“Evelyn Price?””
“You know her?””
Maya looked at the phone.
“She sent me a message the night of the accident.””
“What did it say?””
Maya unlocked the device and opened her messages.
Her thumb hovered over a conversation saved under an unfamiliar number.
Then she turned the screen toward Nia.
The final message had been sent minutes before the crash.
*MAYA, IF DANIEL BRINGS ME TO YOU, DON'T TRUST THE PERSON WEARING THE SILVER WATCH.*
Nia stared at the screen.
Maya whispered, “She knew something was going to happen.””
Before Nia could respond, a new notification appeared.
May you like
It came from the same unknown number that had warned her about Patricia.
*YOU HAVE TWENTY MINUTES TO FIND EVELYN PRICE. AFTER THAT, VICTOR WILL KNOW WHERE DANIEL IS.*
