Chapter 9 - The Stolen Medical Files of St. Jude Hospital
The next morning, Dr. Adler arrived at the Gold Coast estate accompanied by two armed guards.
He carried an old leather briefcase with brass latches.
Luca, Marco, and I gathered around the heavy dining table in the brownstone’s central hall.
“What did you find, Samuel?” Luca asked, pouring the old doctor a cup of hot coffee.
Dr. Adler clicked open the latches of his briefcase.
“After Vanessa came to my clinic two days ago, I knew she wasn't just fishing for old memories,” the doctor explained, pulling out a thick, yellowed folder stamped with the emblem of St. Jude Memorial Hospital. “She was looking for the original toxicology screen from nineteen ninety-nine.”
“My father had a toxicology screen done?” Luca asked, his eyebrows furrowing.
“He did,” Dr. Adler replied. “Michael wasn't stupid. Six months after you survived the shooting, Michael began experiencing sudden arrhythmia and severe muscle tremors. He came to my private clinic in the middle of the night. We ran blood panels through an off-grid laboratory in Wisconsin.”
Dr. Adler slid a lab sheet across the table.
“The tests revealed high concentrations of Digitalis—a heart medication that, in controlled overdoses, causes fatal cardiac arrest without leaving obvious chemical markers unless specifically tested for.”
I leaned closer, reading the signature at the bottom of the intake sheet.
My breath hitched.
“What is it, Nora?” Luca asked immediately.
“This pharmacy requisition number at the bottom,” I whispered, tapping the paper. “I worked in the records department at St. Jude for four years. This specific distribution code belongs exclusively to Bellini Pharmaceuticals Logistics.”
Luca’s jaw clenched so hard the muscles in his neck stood out.
“They didn't just assassinate him,” Luca whispered, the fury in his voice shaking the crystal chandelier above us. “They made him suffer for six months in his own home while pretending to be his brothers.”
“There’s more,” Dr. Adler said. “Victor’s youngest son, Dante, visited the hospital’s archive vault last night. They tried to set fire to the basement storage wing to destroy the backup microfilms.”
Marco checked his phone as a message popped up.
“Boss, the Chicago Fire Department contained the blaze at St. Jude an hour ago. Two arsonists were caught at the perimeter. They’re sitting in the third precinct right now.”
Luca stood up, buttoning his dark jacket.
“They’re getting desperate. Desperate men make clumsy moves.”
Luca looked at Marco.
“Tell the precinct captain to hold those two men in isolation. No bail. No Bellini lawyers allowed in the room.”
“And what about Victor?” Marco asked.
“Victor is meeting his remaining allies at the old shipping warehouse near the Calumet River at midnight,” Luca said, his voice dropping into an icy calm. “He thinks he’s negotiating a bailout.”
Luca turned toward me.
“Nora, you stay here with your mother and brother. Dr. Adler will stay as well.”
“Luca,” I said, stepping toward him without thinking, my hand touching his forearm. “Be careful.”
Luca stopped.
May you like
He looked down at my hand on his arm, then met my eyes with an intensity that made the room fade away.
“I have something worth coming back for now,” he said softly.
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