AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Okay, okay!" Anton cried, his voice cracking under the pressure. "I took bribes from patients! To alter their records, or make appointments disappear, stuff like that. They could commit insurance fraud and get all kinds of perks. But I swear, I didn't hurt anyone!"
Morgan stared into Anton's tear-filled eyes, searching for any sign of deception. As much as she wanted to believe he was telling the truth, something nagged at the back of her mind - a persistent, gnawing doubt that refused to be silenced.
"Is that all?" she asked, her voice dangerously low. "Because if I find out you're lying to me..."
"I'm not!" Anton insisted, his voice barely more than a whisper. "I swear!"
"Better pray that's true," Morgan growled, releasing him just as the paramedics arrived on the scene. As they began attending to Anton's injuries, Morgan stepped back, her gaze fixed on the boxes full of incriminating evidence.
Morgan's knuckles turned white as she struggled to control her anger. The wads of cash taunted her, a glaring symbol of the underbelly of greed and corruption that seemed to permeate every corner of this case. She wanted to scream, to rage against the injustice of it all, but Derik's calming hand on her shoulder grounded her.
"Easy, Morgan," he murmured, his voice steady and reassuring. "Let's not lose our heads here."
Anton, his face pale and slick with sweat, stammered out an explanation. "I... I didn't hurt anyone, I swear! I just needed some extra cash, so I started gambling. I thought that's why you were here—to bust me for that."
As the paramedics began examining Anton's ankle, Morgan continued to fire off questions, unwilling to let him off the hook so easily. His insistence that he had nothing to do with Gretchen's death felt hollow, a desperate attempt to save his own skin.
"Then explain the records," she demanded, her gaze hard and unyielding. "Why hide them if you're innocent?"
"I—I can help with that!" Anton offered, eyes wide with desperation. "Look, Gretchen's file is probably in the box. I'll help you find it."
Morgan hesitated, torn between her desire to uncover the truth and her instinctive distrust of Anton's motives. With each passing moment, she became more acutely aware of the weight of responsibility resting upon her shoulders. Lives were at stake, and she couldn't afford to make any mistakes.
"Fine," she finally said, her tone clipped and terse. "But don't think we're done here. I've got my eye on you."
As Anton rummaged through the box, Morgan remained vigilant, watching his every move like a hawk. Her mind raced with possibilities, trying to piece together the fragments of information she had gathered so far. But no matter how hard she tried, the puzzle remained frustratingly incomplete.
"Here," Anton said at last, holding out a file with trembling hands. "Gretchen Smith's file."
***
The sun had begun its descent as Morgan and Derik sat in the car parked outside the denture clinic. A faint orange glow washed over the dashboard, casting shadows on the pages of Gretchen's file spread across Morgan's lap. She opened Gretchen's file, her eyes hungrily consuming every word on the pages.
"Listen to this," she said, tapping an entry with her finger. "Gretchen had implants fitted a few months ago.”
"Which means whoever removed them knew what they were doing," Derik added, his brows furrowed in thought. "They'd need specialized equipment to do it without causing serious damage."
"Exactly." Morgan chewed on her lower lip, the gears in her mind turning rapidly. "So our killer has access to that kind of equipment. Maybe they're a dentist or an oral surgeon?"
"Could be," Derik agreed, his eyes locked onto hers. "But we should consider other possibilities as well. Anyone could buy that kind of equipment online these days. It's a lead, but not a guarantee."
"True," Morgan admitted, her frustration mounting. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the steering wheel, trying to keep her anger at bay. "But it's better than nothing. We need to follow up on this." Morgan's gaze flicked back to the file, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the information. "The dentist who fitted Gretchen's implants was a guy named Tom Orchard," she said, tapping the name with her finger. "I think we should look into him." She took a deep breath, trying to still the storm of frustration and anger that threatened to consume her.
“Agreed,” Derik said. "We can't afford to overlook anything, especially now that there's been a second victim."
Morgan nodded, her grip on the steering wheel tightening once again. Her thoughts whirred like a tornado, scattering fragments of the case around in her mind. The teeth, the sandbox, the zoo, and now this Tom Orchard – all pieces in a macabre jigsaw puzzle that refused to fit together.
She sighed, feeling the weight of exhaustion settle into her bones. She needed a break, a moment to step back and reassess everything they had learned so far. But with each passing second, the pressure continued to mount, a relentless force driving her forward. She had to keep moving, had to find the answers before someone else got hurt. But she hadn't even taken the time to eat today. It felt like a lifetime ago she'd been walking Skunk on the beach, only to come across Mary's body. Then she'd been searching through Lorenzo's clinic, interrogating Skipper, then finding Lorenzo in that squatter house... and now, already, another body had dropped. It was too much for one day, and Morgan's head spun, her brain struggling to process all the information.
"Hey," Derik said, breaking the silence, and Morgan glanced over to see a hesitant look on his face. "You were a bit harsh back there with the perp, don't you think?"
Morgan bristled at Derik's comment, her anger flaring up again. "What, you think I should have gone easy on him?" she snapped. "He's hiding something, I know it. And if he has anything to do with Gretchen's death, then he deserves whatever's coming to him."
"I'm not saying you should let him off the hook," Derik replied, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. "But maybe try a different approach. Build some rapport with him. Gain his trust. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, you know."
Morgan scoffed. "You know me, Derik. I'm 'honey' when I need to be. I didn't think the guy was going to break his ankle, and he's the one who ran off."
"True, I just think we handled this one poorly. Now a perp is hurt, and if he's truly innocent, then we could get in shit. We need to be more tactful."
