Chapter 9 - New Horizons
New Horizons occupied a renovated mansion outside Providence.
White columns.
Stone fountain.
A brass plaque describing “whole-body cancer recovery.”
No emergency department.
No infusion center.
No oncology pharmacy.
Just expensive rooms, private chefs, supplements, meditation, and promises written carefully enough to avoid calling themselves cures.
Rhode Island police detained Nolan Pierce in the parking lot at 2:30 a.m.
He had Natalie’s laptop in his SUV.
He also had $19,000 in cash.
No Allison.
Sergeant Moreno and Ethan arrived before dawn.
Nolan sat in an interview room with dried blood on one sleeve.
“My lawyer is coming.”
Moreno said, “Then don’t talk.”
Nolan talked.
“Allison built it.”
“What?”
“The beneficiary scheme.”
Moreno said nothing.
Nolan looked at Ethan.
“She figured out grieving families don’t audit paperwork.”
Ethan’s hands curled.
“What did you do?”
“I moved money.”
“How much?”
“Maybe two hundred grand.”
Moreno said, “Try again.”
Nolan smiled bitterly.
“Closer to six.”
Ethan stepped forward.
Moreno blocked him with one arm.
Nolan continued.
“Most of it came from small beneficiary changes. Consulting fees. Executor fees. Nobody noticed because they were dealing with funerals.”
“And Natalie?”
Nolan’s smile vanished.
“That was different.”
“Why?”
“Allison was scared.”
“Of what?”
“You.”
Ethan laughed.
Nolan shook his head.
“No. Not physically. Financially. Natalie started asking questions about Maria Chen’s family. She saw Allison’s company name on an old reimbursement.”
“So Allison made her think I wanted a divorce.”
Nolan looked surprised.
“She did that?”
“You tell me.”
“She didn’t tell me everything.”
Moreno leaned forward.
“Where is Allison?”
“I don’t know.”
“You left the airport together.”
“She asked me to help her get the safe.”
“Why?”
“She said Natalie was destroying documents.”
Ethan almost lunged across the table.
Moreno held him back.
Nolan raised both hands.
“I didn’t know about the cancer until yesterday.”
“Then why New Horizons?”
“Allison told me to meet her here if things went bad.”
“What was supposed to happen here?”
Nolan hesitated.
“New admission. Private room. No family access for seventy-two hours.”
Ethan stared.
“She was going to bring Natalie here.”
“I think so.”
“Against her will?”
“I don’t know.”
Moreno said, “You know more.”
Nolan looked at the one-way mirror.
Then at Ethan.
“There’s a doctor.”
“What doctor?”
“Not an oncologist. A medical director. Dr. Russell Vane.”
Ethan recognized the name from the fake transfer paperwork.
Nolan lowered his voice.
“He signs capacity evaluations.”
Moreno’s expression changed.
“Capacity for what?”
“Guardianships. Financial control. Whatever Allison needs.”
The door opened.
A Rhode Island detective stepped in.
“We searched Pierce’s SUV.”
Moreno stood.
“What did you find?”
The detective placed a clear evidence bag on the table.
Inside was a syringe case.
Prescription labels.
And a folded airline crew schedule.
Natalie’s name had been circled.
Ethan leaned closer.
Under her name, someone had written:
FINAL FLIGHT — 608.
And below it:
BRING HER DIRECTLY AFTER LANDING.
— — —
The next chapters are on the left side of your screen.
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