Chapter 3 - Shadows in the Hallway
The silhouette was slender, wearing a dark raincoat that dripped water onto the carpet. In the pale glow of the moon breaking through a rift in the clouds, I saw the glint of something metallic in their hand. Not a knife. A small glass vial.
"Step away from him," I said, my voice dropping into a low, gravelly register I hadn't used in years.
The figure stiffened but didn't turn around immediately. Instead, they carefully lowered the vial into a pocket. When they finally turned, the flashlight beam caught her face.
It was Clare.
My daughter looked at me with hollow, exhausted eyes. Her hair was soaked, clinging to her cheeks. She didn't look surprised to see me. She looked broken.
"Dad," she whispered, her voice trembling. "What are you doing here?"
"Dr. Miller called me, Clare. I've been to the hospital. I know about Christian." I kept my flashlight angled slightly downward so I wouldn't blind her, but I kept my eyes locked on her hands. "What is in your pocket, sweetheart?"
Clare let out a ragged sob, covering her mouth with her hand. In the adjoining twin bed, six-year-old Lily stirred, humming softly in her sleep before turning over, her small hand clutching a stuffed rabbit. Noah remained deeply asleep, his breathing steady.
"He was going to take them, Dad," Clare said, her voice a desperate, frantic whisper. "He was going to take them away from me. You don't know who he is. You never knew."
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"I know he's not Christian Vance," I said gently, taking a step into the room. "I have the file from the medical center right here. But Clare, Miller says someone has been poisoning him. He thinks the kids are in danger."
Clare looked at the sleeping children, then back at me. A terrifying realization flickered in her eyes. "He thinks I'm the one doing it. He thinks I'm the danger." She shook her head violently. "It's not me, Dad. I didn't poison him. I found out about his real identity three weeks ago. I found his real passport hidden in the crawlspace. But tonight... tonight someone else was here before me."
