Chapter 2 - The Woman Madeline Never Mentioned
Madeline had never spoken to me about Claire Beaumont.
Not once.
That fact bothered me almost as much as the vial.
My wife and I had been married six years.
We weren't perfect.
But I believed we told each other the important things.
Apparently, I was wrong.
Madeline remained unconscious while doctors ran tests.
They wouldn't speculate about causes until they had evidence.
I respected that.
My imagination didn't.
I kept replaying the moment Serena entered with me.
Arm-in-arm.
That looked terrible now.
There was an explanation.
At least, I had thought there was.
Serena had called me from the hospital lobby saying Madeline had been admitted and that she had “information I needed to hear before going upstairs.”
I barely knew Serena.
We had met twice at charity events.
When I arrived, she appeared shaken and grabbed my arm as we walked.
I didn't stop to question it.
My wife was in a hospital.
Now I wondered whether Serena had deliberately arranged the image.
I confronted her outside the room.
“How did you know Madeline was here?”
She hesitated.
“She called me.”
“When?”
“This morning.”
“Why?”
Serena looked toward the nurses.
“Because she finally found Claire.”
My stomach tightened.
“Who is Claire?”
Serena sat down slowly.
“Madeline’s older half-sister.”
I stared.
“Madeline doesn't have a sister.”
“She does.”
“No.”
“Preston, yes.”
Madeline’s father, Richard, had apparently had a relationship before marrying Madeline’s mother.
A daughter was born.
Claire.
The families separated.
Richard later denied paternity publicly, but privately provided money for several years.
When Madeline discovered old letters after her father died, she became obsessed with finding Claire.
“Why didn't she tell me?”
“Because she didn't know what she'd find.”
That answer wasn't enough.
Then Serena told me how she was involved.
Claire was her aunt.
Her mother’s sister.
Which meant Serena and Madeline were cousins.
I felt the room tilt.
“You're related to my wife?”
“Yes.”
“And you never told me?”
“Madeline asked me not to.”
“Why?”
Serena’s mouth tightened.
“Because Claire didn't want contact.”
That made even less sense.
Then why was Claire’s medication in Serena’s handbag?
Serena claimed Claire was seriously ill.
She said she had picked up several medications for her that morning.
One vial must have remained in her purse.
“Convenient.”
“I know how it looks.”
“You walked into my unconscious wife’s room with a drug belonging to a woman she was secretly investigating.”
“I didn't drug her.”
“Then why did Poppy point at you?”
“I don't know.”
I laughed bitterly.
“A toddler identified you.”
“She saw me earlier.”
I stopped.
“What?”
Serena realized what she'd said.
“When?”
Silence.
“Serena.”
She looked down.
“I was in Madeline’s room before you arrived.”
My blood went cold.
“How long?”
“Maybe ten minutes.”
“Was she conscious?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
Serena rubbed her forehead.
“We argued.”
“About Claire?”
“Yes.”
“What happened after you left?”
“She was alive.”
“That isn't what I asked.”
Serena looked directly at me.
“She threatened to expose something my family buried thirty-four years ago.”
Then Madeline’s doctor stepped into the hallway.
“Mr. Carter?”
I turned.
“We found something in your wife’s bloodwork.”
My pulse hammered.
“Poison?”
“Not exactly.”
He paused.
“There are signs she may have been receiving a medication she was never prescribed.”
I looked at Serena.
Her face collapsed.
May you like
But the doctor continued:
“And based on the concentration, this probably wasn't the first dose.”
