“Dr. Mancini, do you mind repeating what you told me while I record it?”Something insidious was happening, and Marlee’s life depended on me to expose it.“Not at all,” he replied.Dr. Mancini repeated what he told me about Lexi dying from MMA. He confirmed he sent the report to the DA and spoke to the coroner, who agreed with him that the baby girl died from natural causes.He then told the camera how his report and test results disappeared from Lexi’s medical records.“Can we try to find the hard copy in the storage room?” I asked. “If you tell me where it is, I’ll look for it.”Dr. Mancini shook his head.“Due to medical confidentiality laws, no unauthorized persons can enter the medical records storage room. I’ll request copies and let you know when I get them.”“Unless they are gone from the paper file, too,” I said.“I hope not.” He shrugged. “But it’s possible. I’ve never had files go missing before.”I needed that report. If the DA has a copy, why was he still charging Marlee w
The DA’s knees were an inch from my side. If either of us moved, I would be discovered.“I’m with you,” Diana reminded me. “You aren’t alone. Don’t be frightened, but be ready to defend yourself. Shift if you need me.”“Hurry up,” the other man growled. “You didn’t lose the file, did you?”The desk drawer slid open. “Of course not,” the DA snapped. “It’s right here.”A pair of expensive loafers walked toward the desk. They stopped beside the DA, and I heard the other man grab the folder.If only I could see who he was. But moving out from under the desk was out of the question.“I’ll take care of it,” the man said. “And I’ll make sure that doctor keeps his mouth shut.”Oh no! Dr. Mancini is in danger. I had to warn him. First, I had to get out of this office with my life and show the Public Defender the file.The other man’s cologne was musky and overpowering. My throat began to tickle from breathing the fumes.“Don’t cough, Daisy,” Diana said. “Hold it in. Think about running over th
I was sobbing as I clung to the steering wheel when someone tapped on the truck window. I wiped my eyes and sat up straight before opening the door.“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Victor took me in his arms. “Were you attacked again?”I shook my head and searched the center console for a tissue.“If I tell you why I’m crying, you’ll think I’m a jerk,” I said and loudly blew my nose.“I’d never think you’re a jerk,” Victor caressed a lock of my hair between his thumb and forefinger. “Talk to me, my love.”“Amy and Justin are getting married next Saturday,” I revealed. “And I’m insanely jealous that it’s not me marrying you.”I began to cry again.“Let’s go for a walk.” Victor took my hands and pulled me from the truck.As we walked around the side of the mansion, he put an arm around my shoulders.“Our wedding day will come,” Victor assured me. “We will know it’s the right time.”“I wish that day were here,” I grumbled.“There are things we must do first,” Victor said. “You should get you
Victor found me leaning over the railing while I cried.“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” he asked.I shook my head. “Nothing …it’s stupid.”“It’s not stupid if it upsets you like this,” he insisted. “Talk to me, my love.”“Amy wants me to be her maid of honor, and she sent me a photo of the wedding dress she wants,” I said. “It’s the same dress I chose for our wedding that we had to cancel.”Victor nodded and held me close. “That’s not stupid. Why don’t you tell Amy that’s the dress you chose? I’ll bet she’ll pick another dress because she loves you.”“I don’t want to spoil her wedding,” I insisted.“Sweetheart, you can’t be her maid of honor if everything about her wedding makes you cry.”“I know,” I agreed. “Being jealous of Amy makes me feel terrible. But I can’t seem to stop.”“Talk to her about it,” Victor advised. “Amy will understand.”I hiccuped. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow morning. We meet for coffee after our first class of the day.”“Now, come to bed,” Victor said.“Or we could g
Allen and I filed into the courtroom and sat down while we waited for the DA and the judge.The DA reached his seat at the opposing counsel’s table a moment before the bailiff announced the judge’s arrival.DA Houser sat across the aisle, glaring at me with enough malice that made me glad I was now sitting next to Allen instead of behind him alone.We stood for the judge and then sat again and waited for him to speak.He didn't make us wait for long. “I have researched the character and reputation of the Public Defender’s witness and had Dr. Mancini’s report and the test results verified. They are authentic.”“Therefore, I am dismissing this case with prejudice,” the judge continued. “And I have ordered an investigation into the DA’s office to make sure this type of incident never happens again.”“I object!” DA Houser roared. “My reputation and record are spotless.”“Not quite, Mr. Houser,” the judge said. “This is not the first time a serious miscarriage of justice occurred through y
Heat flooded my body as my face turned bright red. What a situation to explain to Victor!And what about Justin? He looked angry enough to call off the wedding.The DJ stopped the music as Victor and Justin made their way across the room and stopped between Amy and me and the strippers.“I don't know why they’re here,” I insisted. “They just walked in.”“This is a bachelorette party,” Victor’s voice was cold. “But I didn’t expect this from you, Daisy.”“Or you, Amy,” Justin kept his eyes on the floor, seemingly too upset to look at the two men wearing g-strings and work boots.“I …I didn’t do anything wrong, Justin,” Amy declared. “You must believe me.”“Daisy threw this party for Amy,” Victor told Justin. “Don’t blame Amy.”“But I didn’t hire male strippers,” I insisted. “I wouldn’t know where to find them.”“We were hired through our website,” one stripper said. “Our fee was paid by credit card, and there are no refunds.”He and the dark-haired man began putting their Velcro closure
“Daisy, no, don’t call for an ambulance,” Amy pleaded. “It will scare my dad. I’ll be fine. I just need some ginger ale and a couple of plain crackers out of my purse.”“I’ll get some ginger ale from the bar,” I said and dashed out of the bathroom.I went to Justin. “Amy’s a little sick in her stomach. She wants the crackers from her purse.”“Yeah, that happens when she …um, eats too much.” He fished around under the table and handed me a small pack of soup crackers.“Thanks,” I said and headed to the bar for the ginger ale. The bartender gave me a small bottle of the soda, and I hurried back to my friend.Amy was washing her face at the sink. She took the ginger ale and eagerly took several small sips.“Bless you,” she said and took the pack of crackers. She put one in her mouth and chewed slowly.“Are you sure you’re okay? I asked. “I’ve never known you to get sick from overeating.”I put a hand on her forehead to check for a fever. There was none, but I didn’t like how pale she loo
Ice smells like lemons!That must mean John Cameron and his ilk are responsible for the flow of Ice into the country. And they were storing it under the Association!It made sense. John and the faction had a lot of money financing his schemes. Selling a drug like Ice would generate that kind of cash.It was a brazen move to store their shipments beneath the Association, but who would look in the ancient tomb? Nobody knew where the tomb was except them. I was there, but I couldn’t find it again.Before finding the bomb, I saw men moving the boxes out of the passageways. Where did they move them to? They must have moved their operation nearby because Ice was flowing through Denhurst.I had to find out and stop them from ruining any more lives. I’d start by finding the girl who introduced the Alphas to Sally.I thanked Kyle for talking to me and promised I’d be in touch before going to the city college’s Chemistry Department to find Carla Cox.According to Kyle, Carla introduced his girl