Chapter 7 - Poison in the Veins
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By midnight, the estate was locked down like a military bunker. Marin sat in a leather armchair in the corner of Adelaide’s bedroom, her eyes scanning the dark hallway through the partially opened door.
She wore dark tactical pants and a black long-sleeve shirt—her medical uniform officially retired. A small, suppressed pistol sat comfortably in a holster against her ribs.
At 2:00 AM, the door quietly creaked open.
A young woman wearing the blue uniform of the daytime nursing staff stepped into the room, carrying a tray with a fresh saline IV bag and a syringe.
Marin didn't move from her chair in the shadow. "Shift change isn't until seven, Clara."
The girl jumped, startled, nearly dropping the tray. "Oh! Miss Hollis! I... I was just bringing Mrs. Ferrante her night sedative. Dr. Aris ordered it from the clinic."
Marin stood up slowly, stepping into the dim light of the nightstand lamp. "Dr. Aris doesn't prescribe sedatives for patients with impaired swallowing reflexes. It risks total paralysis of the diaphragm."
Clara swallowed hard, her hand trembling as she held the syringe. "It's... it's a new protocol."
"Let me see the vial," Marin said, reaching out her hand.
Clara hesitated for a split second. Then, with sudden desperation, she lunged toward Adelaide's IV line, raising the syringe to inject it directly into the port.
Before the needle could touch the plastic tubing, Marin grabbed Clara's wrist, twisting it violently downward. The syringe shattered against the floor, spilling a clear, odorless liquid onto the hardwood.
Clara screamed as Marin pinned her face-down against the floor, forcing her arm behind her back.
Elias burst into the room three seconds later, gun drawn, followed by Marco.
Marin picked up a shard of the broken glass from the floor with a tissue, sniffing it briefly.
"Potassium chloride," Marin said calmly, looking up at Elias. "High concentration. It would have induced heart failure within ninety seconds, leaving zero trace in a standard autopsy."
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Evelyn's face turned dark as night. He walked over to Clara, kneeling down until his eyes were inches from the terrified nurse's face.
"Who paid you?" Elias whispered softly. "Tell me now, and I let you walk out of this house alive."
