CHAPTER 2: THE THING INSIDE THE LEG
Two security guards finally rushed forward.
Not to help Sarah.
To protect Eleanor.
“Sir, step back,” one of them said.
I turned slowly.
“My wife is injured.”
He swallowed.
“Mrs. Whitmore asked us to keep the hallway clear.”
Sarah let out another sharp breath.
That was enough.
I pulled out my phone and dialed 911 on speaker.
“My wife is trapped in a door at Oakwood Country Club. There are hundreds of witnesses. I need police and paramedics.”
The lobby shifted.
Suddenly, people cared.
Phones lowered.
Faces changed.
Eleanor’s smile disappeared.
“You dramatic little fool,” she snapped. “It’s a minor accident.”
“No,” I said. “It’s assault.”
A murmur moved through the room.
My half-brother Harrison appeared, red-faced in his wedding tuxedo.
“What the hell is going on?”
Eleanor snapped, “Your brother is making a scene.”
Sarah looked at him, still trapped.
“Harrison… please.”
For one second, my brother looked human.
Then he looked at his mother.
And did nothing.
I laughed once.
Cold.
“Of course.”
The paramedics arrived seven minutes later.
Police arrived two minutes after that.
When they forced the door open, Sarah nearly collapsed into my arms.
A paramedic cut away part of the fabric near the prosthetic.
Then frowned.
“Sir… there’s damage to the casing.”
I nodded.
“I know.”
Eleanor folded her arms.
“Bill me for the little toy if you must.”
The room went silent.
Sarah’s eyes filled with tears.
Not from pain this time.
From humiliation.
I looked at the responding officer.
“There is something inside that leg.”
Eleanor rolled her eyes.
“Oh, now what?”
The paramedic removed the damaged outer shaft.
A small metal capsule slid out.
Eleanor’s face went gray.
I picked it up.
“This was given to me by my father’s attorney before he disappeared.”
Harrison stepped forward.
“What is that?”
I looked at Eleanor.
“The reason she’s been afraid of me for six months.”
The officer opened the capsule.
Inside was an encrypted drive.
Eleanor whispered, “Don’t.”
May you like
I smiled.
Too late.
