Chapter 9 - PAUL'S FEAR
Paul talked.
Not because I threatened him.
Because Ruby walked into the conference room on crutches and asked why everybody looked scared.
Paul broke.
Raymond had been paying three Bellandi directors for years.
Kickbacks disguised as consulting fees.
In exchange, they approved donations, insurance contracts, and medical partnerships.
"Did Lucinda know?" I asked.
"She delivered envelopes."
"Did she hurt Ruby for the policy?"
Paul looked down.
"Raymond said the girl needed to become a medical event."
My hands went cold.
"What does that mean?"
"I don't know."
"Yes, you do."
Paul started crying.
They wanted Ruby's leg injury documented as degenerative.
Permanent.
Then they wanted me declared unstable for refusing "reasonable medical advice."
A father obsessed with treatment.
A daughter supposedly getting worse under his care.
A fiancée stepping in to save everyone.
The story was already written.
They just needed enough paperwork.
Police moved to arrest Raymond.
He was gone.
His car was found at Waukegan airport.
No flight plan.
No phone.
Lucinda claimed she did not know where he was.
Then Marco recovered a deleted voice message from her phone.
Raymond: If the brace stunt fails, use the school incident.
Lucinda: She'll talk.
Raymond: Then make sure nobody believes her.
I replayed it.
"What school incident?"
Ruby answered from the doorway.
"The stairs."
I turned.
Her face had gone pale.
"What stairs?"
She pointed at Lucinda's photograph on the table.
May you like
"She made me fall at school."
The injury we thought was an accident had not been an accident at all.
