“I don’t know,” she said, her voice full of despair. “He won’t leave me alone. Now he’s staking out my house. He’s relentless. I barely got away. What do I do?” James had been uneasy about the businessman since yesterday.
This was all too odd. Lost in thought, he glanced out the window. Two SUVs, like the ones from yesterday, were parked below.
Who knows, maybe they were already being watched? “Until we sort this out, you’re staying at my place,” he said firmly. “No way, Dr. Carter! You barely know me, and people will talk.” He chuckled.
“I know enough. You’re a good, honest person. I don’t care about gossip. It’s settled. No arguments. You can’t go home yet.”
Hannah looked at him gratefully. She wanted to hug her savior but held back. Who was he, and who was she? James checked on yesterday’s patient. The man, a police colonel recently appointed to head the anti-corruption unit, was already looking better.
“Colonel Thomas Reed, you’re looking great. How do you feel?” “Tom, Dr. Carter, from now on, just Tom. You pulled me back from the brink,” the officer exclaimed.
Only three years older than James, they hit it off easily. “Then I’m James,” he smiled, offering a handshake. “James, I owe you my life. Thank you,” Tom said seriously, wincing from pain but gripping the doctor’s hand to emphasize the moment. “If I can ever help, I’d be glad to.”
James paused. He hated asking patients for favors, but this was a special case, and Tom seemed trustworthy. After hearing him out, the colonel didn’t hesitate. “Give me the license plate. I’ll dig up everything I can.”
“Lily, we have a guest!” James called from the doorway, letting a shy Hannah step inside. “Hi, Daddy!” Lily squealed, hanging onto his neck.
Then she turned to Hannah with curiosity and gasped. “I know you! You gave me the flowers. They’re in my room!”
Hannah nodded, smiling shyly. What a cute kid. The hosts were so welcoming that her initial awkwardness melted away.
“Let me cook dinner,” she offered boldly. “Will you help, Lily?” “Yes, yes!” the girl bounced excitedly. After dinner, Lily ran off to finish her homework, leaving the new friends to sip tea in the kitchen.
Finally, they could relax and forget the troubles, at least for a while. The warm cup felt nice in her hands. Golden light from a lacy wall lamp reflected in the dark window.
It was cozy and warm. Suddenly, a loud crash of breaking glass shattered the peace. The window exploded into hundreds of shards, scattering everywhere.
James and Hannah barely had time to react. Luckily, no one was hurt. A hefty brick lay in the middle of the kitchen.
A terrified Lily ran in and froze. James quickly ushered her out and turned to his shaken guest. “I’m okay,” Hannah managed, trying to stop her trembling hands.
James picked up the brick, untied a note from it, and read it. “What’s it say?” she asked hoarsely. “It’s a message. For me,” he replied curtly.
Hannah took the note from him. “Let the girl go, or you’ll regret it,” it read.
A cold wind howled through the broken window, and a few stray shards clinked onto the sill. Hannah was terrified. What did this mean? What would happen next? God, why had she dragged this wonderful man and his little girl into this? She started dressing frantically, her trembling fingers struggling with her shoelaces.
“Hannah, don’t be ridiculous!” James said sharply, switching to a first-name basis and blocking the door. “Where are you going?” “I can’t put you and Lily in danger.”
The shift to informality felt natural for her too. “Who knows what that lunatic will do next?” “I’m not leaving you alone in this. And I’ve got help coming.” His voice was convincing.
“Take off your shoes, and let’s clean up the glass.” After a moment’s hesitation, Hannah returned to the kitchen. The next morning, trouble continued.
Someone had slashed the tires on James’s car. Hannah flinched at the sight, but he calmly took her arm and led her to the bus stop. James stubbornly kept protecting her.
He couldn’t imagine abandoning a friend in need. At lunch, she whispered, “His bodyguard was in our department today. It’s getting out of hand. What did he want?”
“No idea,” she shrugged. “He was talking to Peterson in room four.” “Don’t worry, we’ll sort this out soon,” he reassured her.
His phone rang. It was Dr. Bennett again.
The chief looked like a thundercloud today, only missing lightning bolts from his eyes. He held a sheet covered in neat handwriting. “Sit down, Dr. Carter.” The formal tone was alarming. Something was wrong.
“A complaint has been filed against you. A patient claims you offered to sell him narcotic painkillers post-surgery.” James hadn’t expected this move from the cunning businessman.
“From Peterson?” he asked. “So, you admit it?” Dr. Bennett frowned deeper. “No, it’s a lie, and you know it.”
But the chief wasn’t interested in details and continued. “On top of that, a respectable man came to me yesterday with a similar claim, though verbally.” “Don’t you find this coincidence suspicious?” James tried to appeal to logic.
The chief wouldn’t listen. “You’re fired, Dr. Carter. Be thankful if you don’t end up in jail.” James walked back to the department on shaky legs, his mind a whirlwind.
What now? His career was over? With a record like that, he’d be blacklisted. The staff room was busy—two nurses clarified patient orders, and Dr. Grayson discussed something with the head nurse.
A dazed James collapsed onto the couch. “Well, colleagues, it’s time to say goodbye. I’ve just been fired.”
A stunned silence hung for seconds before erupting into questions and outrage. James briefly recounted his talk with the chief. “This is nonsense, a setup! We won’t let them do this,” Dr. Grayson declared firmly.
The news spread quickly through the hospital. Dr. Grayson methodically rallied other department heads. Doctors, nurses, and even junior staff collected signatures for a petition to the chief.
No one believed a surgeon of James’s caliber could do something so vile. James was packing his things when Dr. Bennett called. “Dr. Carter, you’re staying for now. Thank your colleagues,” he grumbled and hung up.
For two days, things seemed to quiet down, and it felt like the obsessive widower had finally backed off. Tom was grim when James visited him. “Hey, my team dug up some info on Edward Sullivan. He’s 30, widowed for about a year.
He was married to Marina Coleman for roughly the same time. Her death was ruled an accident, but there were oddities. They were boating on a river; she leaned over and fell in.
Her body was never found, and there were no witnesses. Suspicious, but no evidence against him. No body, no crime. She’s listed as missing.”
Leaving Tom’s room, James pondered. Pieces of the puzzle were starting to fit, but some were still missing.
Late that evening, a critical patient arrived, requiring a complex, hours-long surgery. Despite protests, James sent Hannah to his house in a taxi. “Cook us something tasty?” he smiled, adding, “I’ll be late.”
They finished operating at 11 p.m. Thankfully, it went well. Exhausted but satisfied, James washed up and called a taxi. Entering his building, he noticed the hallway light was out.
Fumbling for his phone to use as a flashlight, he felt a sharp pain behind his knees. His legs buckled, and heavy blows rained down. A hard hit to his face flashed bright light in his brain, then darkness. Oblivion.
James struggled to open his right eye; the left wouldn’t budge. The room’s outlines suggested a hospital ward. His body ached to his fingertips. He tried moving—his limbs responded.
What was wrong with his eye? “James! Oh God!” someone wailed nearby. He turned his head toward the sound. A tear-streaked Hannah sat beside him.
“Why are you crying? I’m still alive,” he tried to joke, but his voice was weak and raspy. The attempt backfired, and she sobbed harder.
“It’s my fault!” she choked out. “Stop it!” His voice grew stronger. “Tell me why my eye won’t open.”
Hannah calmed slightly, wiping her tears. “You were beaten badly. Two ribs broken. They hit near your temple. The swelling will go down, and your eye will open.” She spoke through sniffles.
James touched his right eye. “Good thing my hands are fine,” he smirked. The attackers were never found, but he wasn’t thinking about that. This forced break had its perks.
He had plenty of time to dissect the past week’s events. Many things became clearer. He also had a rough plan for what to do next.
Ten days later, James was moving freely and no longer scared people with his appearance. He couldn’t stand staying in the hospital any longer. Straight from discharge, he drove to the site of Marina Coleman’s death, as noted in the police report.
Luckily, his car had been repaired and parked at the hospital. He decided to drive downstream along the river. In the first few towns, locals recoiled or crossed themselves when he asked about a body found a year ago.