Chapter 6 - The Whispering Flame
The small yellow flame of the silver lighter flickered inches away from Emily’s pale, immobile cheek.
She could feel the intense heat radiating against her skin.
Arthur smiled as he watched her pupils contract in sheer, helpless terror.
"Do you know what hurts the most, Emily?" Arthur whispered softly, leaning close enough for his warm breath to brush her ear.
"It isn't the poison."
"It's knowing that every single person out there thinks I am the grieving hero."
"They weep for me."
"They pray for my healing."
He clicked the lighter shut, plunging the cold basement back into partial shadows.
Emily screamed in her mind, throwing all her willpower into moving her left hand.
Not a single nerve responded.
Her body was a iron cage locked from the inside.
"Dr. Vance is preparing the second chemical now," Arthur continued, pacing around her chair like a predator.
"It causes total respiratory failure within minutes."
"The coroner will call it an unexpected lingering effect of your heart condition."
"And by sunrise, your vast family fortune will be entirely in my bank accounts."
Meanwhile, three miles away in the city jail, heavy boots echoed down the cold concrete hallway.
A young female deputy stopped outside Maria's cell and rattled the steel bars with a ring of keys.
"Get up, maid," Deputy Sarah said sternly.
"You've got a visitor."
Maria snapped her head up, her eyes red and swollen from crying.
"Who is it?" Maria asked, her voice raspy.
"Is it Detective Miller?"
"No," the deputy replied, unlocking the heavy cell door.
"It's a lawyer who says he was hired by your late employer six months ago."
Maria stared in utter disbelief as a tall, sharp-eyed man in a gray suit stepped into the hallway.
"My name is Julian Ross," the man said quietly, offering a warm, reassuring look.
May you like
"Emily Sterling knew Arthur was trying to kill her."
"And she left me instructions on what to do if she ever vanished."
