Chapter 4 - The Threat
Before Elise could answer, the low, rhythmic chime of Daniel’s phone broke the tension in the room.
He pulled it from his pocket. It was a text message from Nora.
Daniel. Please come up to the suite. Your mother has something she needs to show you. Bring the folder from the bottom drawer of the desk.
Daniel looked at Elise. "We're not finished."
He walked past her, his shoulder brushing her velvet sleeve. As he entered the hallway, he could feel her eyes on his back—sharp, cold, and calculating.
He climbed the grand staircase to the third floor, where his mother’s private suite was located. When he knocked, Nora opened the door immediately, her face pale but determined.
Margaret sat in her favorite armchair by the fireplace, a cup of untouched tea on the table beside her. Her hands had been washed, but her skin looked fragile, almost translucent in the dimming light of the evening.
"Daniel," Margaret said, her voice a thin whisper. "Did you find it?"
"I found the trust statements, Mom," Daniel said, sitting on the ottoman in front of her. "Are these what you were looking for?"
"No," Margaret said, shaking her head. "Not those. The other ones. The documents from the clinic in Switzerland."
Daniel frowned, looking at Nora. "What clinic?"
"Three weeks after you left for London, Daniel," Nora said, stepping forward, "Elise brought a private doctor to the house. A Dr. Robert Sterling. He didn't evaluate your mother in her room. He met with Elise in the study for two hours. The next day, your mother’s daily medication was changed."
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"Changed?" Daniel’s heart began to beat faster. "My mother has mild cognitive impairment, but she’s been stable for two years. What did they change?"
"They started giving her a heavy sedative," Nora said, her voice trembling with a mixture of anger and fear. "A drug called Donepezil, combined with high doses of Lorazepam. It wasn't prescribed by her regular neurologist. It was delivered in unmarked bottles from a private compounding pharmacy in Miami."
