Chapter 7 - Forensic Radiance
“You are crossing a line you cannot walk back from, Evelyn,” Richard’s voice hissed through the glass, no longer pretending to be the benevolent father. “Clara Webb was an unstable addict who fabricated allegations to extract a settlement. If you breathe that name in connection with my family, I will strip you of your chairmanship before the week is out.”
“Try it,” Vance whispered. “The hospital board doesn't own the State Bureau of Forensic Investigation. And neither do you.”
Richard took half a step forward, his voice a low, vibrating growl. “She is twenty-four years old, but she lacks the capacity to make medical decisions right now. I have already filed an emergency petition for temporary conservatorship with Judge Miller. By noon, I will have the court order. You will release her to me, or the sheriff will escort you off the premises in handcuffs.”
“We’ll see what Judge Miller says when he sees the UV scans,” Vance said coldly. “Now get off my floor before I call hospital security to have you formally trespassed.”
A long, suffocating silence hung in the hallway. I could hear my own heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.
Finally, the leather soles turned.
“Enjoy your little rebellion, Evelyn,” Richard said, his voice echoing as he walked away. “And tell my daughter that her mother is waiting in the car. We are very patient people.”
The sound of his footsteps faded toward the elevators. A second later, the door slipped open, and Dr. Vance slipped back inside, locking the deadbolt behind her.
Her face was pale, but her hands were steady as she pulled a portable ultraviolet forensic wand from her cart.
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“We don’t have until noon,” Vance said, flipping on the blue light. “The moment daylight hits, Richard’s legal network will choke this hospital. We document everything right now.”
She pointed the ultraviolet light at my neck and face. Under the fluorescent purplish glow, things invisible to the naked eye suddenly flared to life in horrific detail: deep, glowing luminescent patterns on my skin that mapped out every single point where Richard’s fingers had dug into my flesh, holding me down against the fire.
