Chapter 8
The Witness Who Looked Away
Tessa had learned that a crisis became most dangerous after everyone decided they understood it. In Ward Seven of St. Ormond Hospital, the air buzzed with a tense urgency as doctors and nurses moved with purpose, carrying clipboards, phones, and other versions of the same lie. The official story had settled around them too quickly, like a shroud. Tessa could feel its weight every time someone averted their gaze or hesitated before answering a direct question.
Callum stood beside her, close enough for their presence to be interpreted as a unit. He didn’t touch her, but the proximity was charged, a silent acknowledgment of the storm swirling between them. That restraint mattered. It gave Tessa the space to navigate her emotions, to choose the distance between them instead of pretending it didn’t exist.
“A professional ally gives a clue that points toward a loved one,” Tessa murmured, her voice barely rising above the hum of activity. She scanned the bustling ward, the stark white walls decorated with sterile posters that seemed to mock their urgency.
“Then we make them show us where it leads,” Callum replied, his gaze locking onto hers, his expression fierce yet focused.
Tessa felt a flicker of hope. They had caught onto a detail everyone else had dismissed: a time stamp, a misplaced access card, a line in a chart that didn’t match the person who wrote it. Arthur had warned Tessa that the truth wouldn’t arrive as a confession; it would be hidden in plain sight, disguised as something mundane.
When the next door opened, revealing a dimly lit room, a wave of foreboding washed over Tessa. She understood the cost of being right. The proof could save them, but it could also drag the people they loved into a perilous situation. Callum sensed her hesitation, his hand finding the small of her back, warmth radiating through the fabric of her blouse. But he remained still, giving her the room to decide.
“Tell me what you need,” he said, his voice low, steady, a lifeline in the chaos.
For the first time since the crisis had erupted, Tessa found herself at a loss for a plan. She looked at him, at the control he was relinquishing, and made the only honest choice available: to keep moving with him. They entered the room together, the tension between them palpable.
Inside, a nurse with tired eyes sat behind a cluttered desk, her fingers trembling as she flipped through a stack of papers. The air smelled of antiseptic, and the low drone of machinery blended with the distant sounds of hurried footsteps in the hallway.
The nurse glanced up, her gaze darting nervously between Tessa and Callum. “I-I was told you wouldn’t survive this,” she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.
Tessa’s heart raced. “Who told you that?”
“I can’t say…” The nurse hesitated, biting her lip, as if considering the weight of her words. “But if you’re here, it means you’re getting close to something. Something dangerous.”
“Dangerous how?” Callum pressed, stepping forward, his intensity drawing the nurse’s attention.
She shifted in her seat, her breath hitching. “I’m just a nurse. I don’t know anything specific. But I overheard a conversation—a name came up. It’s someone powerful, someone who doesn’t want you digging deeper.”
“Who?” Tessa demanded, her frustration bubbling to the surface.
The nurse shook her head, glancing toward the door. “I can’t. I have a family to think about. If they find out I talked to you—”
“Please,” Tessa said, feeling desperation claw at her. “We’re trying to protect the people we love, too. Whoever it is, they’re involved in something that could hurt us all. You have to help us.”
The nurse’s eyes softened for a moment. “You don’t understand. They have eyes everywhere. Just… be careful.” She hesitated before scribbling something on a scrap of paper, her hand shaking as she slid it across the desk. “This is all I can do.”
Tessa snatched the note, her pulse quickening as she registered the name scrawled in hurried handwriting. It meant something, though she couldn’t yet grasp how.
“Thank you,” Callum said, his voice low and sincere.
As they turned to leave, Tessa felt the weight of the nurse’s gaze on her back, a mix of sympathy and fear. The room felt smaller, the walls closing in as the reality of their situation settled heavily on her shoulders.
Outside, the fluorescent lights flickered, and Callum’s hand found hers, fingers intertwining instinctively. “What now?” he asked, his voice a murmur.
Tessa took a deep breath, steeling herself. “We find out who this person is and what they’re hiding. We’re running out of time.”
Just then, the sharp tone of a phone ringing echoed down the hall, cutting through the tension. Tessa’s heart sank as she caught sight of a familiar figure approaching. She froze, dread curling in her stomach.
“Callum—” she started, but it was too late. The figure was already upon them, and with it, the realization that their time to act was slipping away.
“Looks like we’ve got company,” Callum said, his grip tightening around her hand as they turned to face the oncoming threat.