Chapter 6 - Room A17
Room A17 had not existed on any hospital map for twenty years.
Rachel told us that in the car.
I drove.
Daniel sat beside me because I needed answers faster than I needed distance.
Rachel and Marcus followed in another vehicle.
Charles and Evelyn remained at the mansion with police.
For the first time all night, Charles had agreed to contact law enforcement.
Nicole's kidnapping changed everything.
He could no longer pretend this was a private family problem.
"Where is A17?" I asked.
Rachel stared through the windshield.
"Old research wing."
"Our hospital doesn't have an old research wing."
"It does."
"Where?"
"Under the original surgical building."
I glanced at Daniel.
He looked just as confused.
Rachel continued.
"Most of it was sealed after renovations. Keller kept one storage room."
"A17."
"Yes."
"Why would Daniel have a key?"
"He doesn't."
I touched the tiny key in my coat pocket.
"Then who put it inside my purse?"
Rachel didn't answer.
We reached the hospital at 11:28.
Thirty-two minutes until midnight.
The main entrance was locked, but my employee badge worked.
Security guard asleep?
No.
Missing.
His chair empty.
Monitor showing static.
"This is wrong," Daniel said.
"I know."
We entered.
Rachel led us through a service corridor behind radiology.
Down one level.
Then another.
Concrete replaced polished hospital flooring.
Old pipes ran overhead.
Marcus joined us at a rusted metal door.
Faded letters:
RESEARCH ARCHIVE.
Rachel pointed.
"Beyond here."
My badge failed.
The A17 key opened it.
Inside was a corridor covered in dust.
No power.
We used phone flashlights.
A01.
A03.
A09.
Then A17.
The door was already open.
Daniel whispered, "Someone's been here."
Inside, metal shelves lined the walls.
Boxes.
Medical charts.
Old equipment.
And one laptop.
Modern.
Powered on.
I approached.
The screen showed a countdown.
00:28:11.
Below it:
UPLOAD SCHEDULED.
Daniel said, "Can you stop it?"
I touched the trackpad.
Password required.
Marcus opened drawers.
"Look for Nicole."
Rachel searched shelves.
I studied the laptop.
One folder visible behind the password screen:
WHITMORE_RELEASE.
Someone wanted us to find this.
"Daniel."
He moved beside me.
"Your father's confession won't stop this."
"What?"
"The upload is already scheduled."
"Then why demand it?"
"Because the confession is part of whatever they're building."
Rachel suddenly called from behind us.
"Claire."
She held an old cassette tape.
Label:
ANNA — FINAL SESSION.
Charles's handwriting.
My stomach turned.
Daniel inserted it into an ancient recorder sitting on the shelf.
Static.
Then a girl's voice.
Anna.
"I don't want another treatment."
Charles's younger voice.
"We're almost there."
"No."
"Anna—"
"I said no."
Silence.
Then Keller.
"Charles, we need to proceed."
Anna cried.
"Dad, please."
The tape ended.
Daniel turned away.
Rachel whispered, "That's the evidence."
"Evidence of what?"
"That Charles knew she withdrew consent."
I looked around.
"Why leave it here?"
Marcus said, "Because Keller kept everything."
Then we heard a noise.
Behind the wall.
Three knocks.
Daniel froze.
Again.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
We moved toward the sound.
A metal cabinet covered part of the wall.
Marcus pulled it aside.
Door.
No handle.
Rachel pushed.
Locked.
I tried A17 key.
Wrong.
Daniel kicked it.
Once.
Twice.
On the third kick, it opened.
Nicole was inside.
Hands tied.
Tape over her mouth.
Alive.
I ran to her.
She shook violently.
"Claire."
I cut the ties.
"Who did this?"
She looked toward the corridor.
"We need to leave."
"Who?"
"Now."
Daniel helped her stand.
The laptop beeped.
00:19:44.
Nicole stared.
"Oh God."
"What?"
"They're releasing altered files."
My heart dropped.
"What do you mean altered?"
"They changed names. Transactions. Dates."
"To blame Charles?"
"Yes."
"Who?"
Nicole grabbed my arm.
"The person who sent you the original hospital attachment."
"Who was that?"
She stared at me.
"I thought you knew."
"No."
"It came from internal compliance."
"Whose account?"
Nicole hesitated.
"Yours."
I felt dizzy for real this time.
"Mine?"
"Someone used your credentials."
Daniel said, "Who has access?"
"No one."
Nicole shook her head.
"Claire, your login was used at 2:13 a.m. three weeks ago."
"I was home."
Daniel looked at me.
"I was with you."
Marcus said, "Can security footage show who entered?"
Nicole's expression changed.
"We checked."
"And?"
"Someone used your badge."
"Who?"
"The camera didn't catch their face."
Rachel whispered, "Anna."
I stared at her.
"Why would Anna have my credentials?"
"I don't know."
The countdown reached eighteen minutes.
I opened the laptop's network settings.
"Can we disconnect it?"
Nicole shook her head.
"Upload may already be mirrored."
Daniel said, "Then we need whoever set this up."
Footsteps sounded in the corridor.
Everyone froze.
Slow.
Approaching.
Marcus grabbed a metal pole.
Daniel stepped in front of me.
I almost told him not to.
Then decided this wasn't the moment.
A shadow appeared beneath the door.
Rachel whispered:
"Anna?"
The footsteps stopped.
A woman's voice answered.
"Yes."
Evelyn's daughter walked into Room A17.
She looked older than the photographs.
Tired.
Real.
The emerald ring shone on her left hand.
Daniel couldn't breathe.
"Anna?"
She stared at him.
"Hi, Danny."
He crossed the room in two steps.
Then stopped.
As if he wasn't sure whether he was allowed to touch her.
Anna made the decision.
She hugged him.
Daniel broke.
He cried into his sister's shoulder like the nine-year-old boy who had lost her.
For several seconds, everyone forgot the countdown.
Then Anna looked at the laptop.
"We don't have much time."
I stepped forward.
"You did this?"
"No."
"You sent the files."
"Yes."
"You put the key in my purse?"
"Yes."
"You drugged me?"
Her face hardened.
"Never."
"Security footage showed—"
"I know."
She held up the emerald ring.
"Someone wanted you to think it was me."
"Who?"
Anna looked at Nicole.
Nicole went pale.
"No."
I turned.
"What?"
Anna's voice dropped.
"Tell her."
Nicole backed away.
"Anna—"
"Tell Claire who gave you her login credentials."
I stared at my boss.
Nicole shook her head.
"It wasn't like that."
My chest tightened.
"What did you do?"
"I thought we were protecting the hospital."
"From what?"
Nicole looked at Daniel.
"From his family."
Anna said, "No. You were protecting Keller."
Nicole whispered, "Keller was dead."
Anna shook her head.
"Martin Keller is dead."
Then she looked toward the doorway.
"But his son isn't."
Footsteps.
A man entered.
Mid-forties.
Expensive coat.
Hospital executive badge.
I recognized him immediately.
Dr. Andrew Keller.
Our chief medical officer.
Martin Keller's son.
He held a gun.
The countdown reached:
00:11:03.
Andrew smiled.
May you like
"Perfect."
Then he pointed the gun directly at me.
