When my husband heard the doctor say I had only 3 days left, he held my hand, smiled, and whispered, “Finally. Only 3 days. Your house and your money are mine now.”(4/6)

“Very good. Hang in there.”

Chloe hung up.

She remembered Evelyn Vance’s face—pale but with a clear, firm gaze. She remembered her last words. “See this poisoning through to the end.

So he goes to prison.”

She would see it through. Whatever happened. Because Evelyn had given her a chance.

The chance for a different life. And Chloe wouldn’t disappoint her. The revenge wasn’t hers, but the justice she owed Evelyn was her new purpose in life.

Dusk was breaking outside. Somewhere in another city, Paul Garrett was gathering information, making plans, preparing to strike. And here, in the quiet room, the girl who was nobody yesterday was preparing for her defense.

The game had begun, and the stakes were too high to lose. District Attorney David Chen sat in his office at the homicide division headquarters, studying the documents submitted by attorney Okonnell. The folder was thick—medical reports, toxicological analyses from two independent labs, excerpts from the medical history, the personal diary of the deceased, Evelyn Vance, in which she recorded her symptoms by date.

Chen was an experienced prosecutor with a reputation for being meticulous and incorruptible. He didn’t like sensational cases, but when he took one on, he saw it through. Now he was reading the toxicology report for the third time.

Everything added up. Traces of a drug used in palliative medicine to alleviate the suffering of the terminally ill were found in Miss Vance’s blood. In high doses, it was fatal.

The substance was rare, strictly prescription-only. Miss Vance did not have an oncological illness. Where did it come from?

Chen picked up the phone and called Okonnell. “Mr. Okonnell, I received the documents.

One question: were there any reasons for Miss Vance to take this medication?”

“None,” Okonnell said. “Her treating physician confirmed he had not prescribed anything of the sort. Furthermore, Evelyn Vance herself became suspicious and secretly submitted samples to an external lab.

The results will shock you, but they are credible.”

“I see. Who had access to her food and medication?”

“Primarily the husband, Paul Garrett. They lived together.

He prepared her tea, brought her pills. The housekeeper came three times a week, but has been under observation for 20 years. Absolutely trustworthy.

The other contacts were episodic. The husband’s motive is the inheritance. Miss Vance owned a chain of hospitals, commercial properties, and large accounts, all acquired before the marriage.

She had no children. Had she died without a will, Garrett would have inherited everything as the sole legal heir. But she left a will, one day before her death, in favor of an external person—the cleaning lady, Chloe Jefferson.

Garrett was left destitute. That was Evelyn’s final move.”

“Interesting,” Chen murmured. “So he had motive, means, and opportunity.

The classic triad.”

“Exactly. Furthermore, there is a witness. Chloe Jefferson heard Miss Vance tell me about her suspicion.

She is ready to testify. She is now in a safe location. Garrett is actively looking for her, trying to intimidate her, to force her to renounce the inheritance.

I fear for her life.”

Chen frowned. “Good. I am opening an investigation into suspicion of homicide under the first-degree murder statute.

I will order the exhumation and a new forensic medical examination. If the poisoning is confirmed, Garrett will face a high sentence.”

“Thank you, Mr. Chen.

I knew you were the right person for this case.”

“You’re welcome. I’m just doing my job.”

Chen hung up and began drafting the order to open the investigation. Tedious work lay ahead, but he liked such cases—when everything fit together into a clear picture, when the perpetrator believed they had escaped retribution and then realized the net was closing in.

Two days later, the district attorney received court approval for the exhumation of Evelyn Vance’s body. The procedure took place privately. Samples were sent for examination to a leading forensic center in Quantico, Virginia.

While the experts worked, Chen began collecting circumstantial evidence. He instructed his assistants to analyze the surveillance camera footage from pharmacies in the area where Miss Vance lived. The task was simple: to find out if Garrett had purchased the drug in question.

The result came after one week. In a recording from one of the private pharmacies, Paul Garrett was clearly visible. He approached the counter, spoke with the pharmacist, gave money, and received a package.

The date was 2 months before Miss Vance’s death. Chen called the pharmacist in for questioning—a nervous, frightened woman in her 50s. “Do you remember this man?” the district attorney asked, showing a photo of Garrett.

“Yes, yes, I remember. He came several times. He bought the palliative therapy medication.

He said his mother had cancer. The doctors had allowed him to administer it at home so she wouldn’t suffer.” The pharmacist lowered her gaze. The lie was clearly painful for her.

“Did you have a prescription?” Chen asked. The pharmacist turned pale. “No.

He said he lost the prescription. He offered to pay more. I agreed.

I needed the money. It was a mistake. I know.”

“How often did he buy it?”

“Four or five times.

I don’t know exactly.”

Chen nodded. “Do you realize that you violated the law? The sale of prescription drugs without a prescription.

And if this drug was used to kill someone, you are an accessory.”

The woman wept. “I didn’t know. I swear I didn’t know.”

“Write a statement.

Admit it voluntarily. That will mitigate your guilt. But you will have to testify in court.”

She nodded, wiping away her tears.

Chen dictated the protocol to her. She signed. Another thread leading to Garrett was documented.

Simultaneously, private investigator Roy Singleton conducted his own investigation. He requested all surveillance camera footage from the hospital where Miss Vance had been admitted. He examined who went into her room, when, and for how long.

Paul Garrett was regularly seen bringing fruit and flowers, sitting by the bed. On the cameras, he looked like a model husband. But one day, Singleton noticed a detail.

Garrett entered the room with a thermos. He stayed for 10 minutes. He left without the thermos.

An hour later, the nurse came to collect the dishes. The thermos was empty. Singleton requested the medical records.

On that day, Miss Vance’s condition had deteriorated rapidly: nausea, weakness, confusion. The doctors had blamed it on the progression of the illness. The detective found the nurse and conducted an unofficial interview.

“Do you remember the day Garrett brought his wife tea in a thermos?”

“Yes, I remember. Miss Vance drank a little and then said the tea tasted bitter. I thought the infusion was too strong.”

“And what did Garrett say?”

“Nothing.

He smiled and said she had always been picky. He seemed unperturbed.”

Singleton noted the statement. Another building block for the indictment.

It showed the perpetrator’s method and cold-bloodedness. In parallel, he tracked Garrett’s actions after the will was announced. Paul had hired people—two strong men from a private security company.

They scoured the city, questioning Chloe’s former colleagues, neighbors, acquaintances. They were desperately searching for her whereabouts. Singleton reported to Okonnell.

“Garrett has become active. His men have already found out that Chloe rented a room on the outskirts of the city. They questioned the landlady.

She said the girl moved out a week ago and didn’t leave a new address. They will find her sooner or later.”

“We must act before they do,” Okonnell said. “Yes, they have the resources.

We must preempt them. I suggest arranging a meeting between Chloe and Garrett’s people under our control. We record the attempt at coercion and intimidation.

That will be the basis for another criminal case—coercion to execute a transaction, threats. We use his greed as a trap.”

Okonnell thought about it. “Risky, but a viable option.

I’ll talk to Chloe. She must understand the risk.”

He contacted Chloe Jefferson and explained the plan. The girl did not agree immediately.

She was afraid. She trembled on the phone. “I can’t do this, Mr.

Okonnell. He’s a killer. He wants to kill me.”

“But Chloe,” Okonnell said quietly, “they will find you anyway.

It is better that it happens on our terms, and he will be convinced that you agree to hand over the estate to him. We will be nearby. The police will be nearby.

Nothing will happen to you. And Garrett will be driven even further into a corner. Think of Miss Vance’s wish.”

“Fine,” she said quietly.

“I’ll do it for Evelyn.”

Singleton arranged an information leak. Through an acquaintance at the security company, he passed on a hint to Garrett’s men that Chloe was working in a small private lab in the neighboring city of Charlotte. The information reached Paul 2 days later.

He was overjoyed to finally have a clear lead. He immediately drove there with Victoria Shaw and two bodyguards. The plan was simple: find the girl, intimidate her, force her to sign the renunciation of inheritance.

If she refused, exert stronger pressure. Paul was determined to force his financial rebirth, even if it meant Chloe’s death. They tracked Chloe in the evening as she left the lab and surrounded her on an empty street.

The air was cold and damp. It got dark early. Paul stepped forward and smiled, but it was a smile like a blade.

“Chloe Jefferson. Finally. We need to talk.”

“Listen carefully,” he continued.

“You got something that rightfully belongs to me. Evelyn was my wife. I took care of her for 3 years, and you are just a random girl who was in the right place at the right time.

Do you think that’s fair?”

Chloe remained silent. She held Evelyn’s wish firmly in her heart. Paul pulled papers from his pocket.

“Here is the renunciation of inheritance. You sign, and I will give you $300,000. That’s enough to pay off your debts and start a new life.

You refuse…” He nodded to the bodyguards. “You will regret it immediately.”

“I won’t sign,” Chloe gasped. Her knees were shaking, but her voice was clear.

Paul frowned. Victoria stepped closer and spoke sweetly, but with a cold look. “Sweetie, you don’t understand who you’re messing with.

Paul is not one to give up. If you don’t sign voluntarily, he will force you painfully. Think of yourself, your health.

The money is not worth it.”

“I said no. I made a promise to the dead, and I’m keeping it.”

One of the bodyguards moved forward, but at that moment Singleton came around the corner. Behind him were two uniformed police officers.

“Halt! Police! Stay where you are!”

Paul froze.

Victoria went pale. The bodyguards looked around confusedly. Singleton went to Chloe.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.” She was shaking but held herself upright. “They threatened me. They wanted me to sign the renunciation of inheritance.”

The police officer noted the statement.

Paul tried to justify himself. “We were just talking. There were no threats.

This is a misunderstanding.”

“We recorded everything,” Singleton said, pulling a small recorder from Chloe’s pocket. “Every word, including the sentence that she will regret it if she refuses. Your attempt at coercion is hereby documented.”

Paul realized he was trapped.

The police officers drew up a report and arrested him and Victoria for questioning. The bodyguards were released with an order to appear. At the police station, Paul was detained until the morning and then released on bail, but the case was opened.

Chen received the documents and initiated proceedings for coercion to execute a transaction and threat of violence. Now two cases were running against Garrett: the murder of Evelyn Vance and the threats against Chloe. The situation became critical.

Paul’s desperate greed had betrayed him. He returned to the house that no longer belonged to him. Victoria sat on the sofa holding her head and wailing.

“Everything is falling apart. Paul, they are closing in on us. That was a trap and we walked right into it.”

“Shut up,” he snarled.

“I’m thinking. There must be a way.”

“What is there to think about? We have to flee while we still can.”

“Flee where?

I have no money. Evelyn left everything to that damn girl. All I have left is my meager salary from 3 years, which is long spent.

Without money, I am nobody.”

“Then what should we do?”

Paul was silent. He knew time was running out. The district attorney was digging.