Chapter 43 THE CHASE

Chapter 43 ARRESTED
Cole

I watched the Swiss police handcuff Tehila and drag her toward the vault door while she was still bleeding.

"Stop," I said and moved to block their path. "She needs medical attention. She is pregnant, and she is losing blood."

One of the officers shoved me aside and kept moving. Tehila's face was white, and her legs could barely support her weight, but they pulled her forward anyway.

"Cole," she said, and her voice sounded broken. "The baby."

"I know." I followed them out of the vault and into the bank corridor, where more officers were waiting. "I will get you help. I promise."

Paramedics rushed past me toward the vault, and I turned to see them kneeling beside Sienna. She was crying now, with tears streaming down her face, mixing with the blood from her nose.

"She attacked me," Sienna said between sobs. "I came here to get my personal documents, and she was waiting. She stabbed me and tried to make me drink poison."

The paramedic examining her shoulder looked up at his partner. "We need to transport, because the wound needs surgical repair."

"My baby," Sienna gasped and clutched her flat stomach with her good hand. "Please tell me my baby is okay."

I stared at her performance and felt sick. I doubt that she is pregnant. A pregnant woman can’t do the thing she does. 

Agent Mercier pushed through the crowd of officers and grabbed the arm of the man who seemed to be in charge. "I am Agent Mercier with Interpol. The woman you just arrested is the victim here. Sienna Ashford is wanted for questioning in connection with four murders in the United States."

The officer pulled his arm free and looked at Mercier like he was insane. "The victim is bleeding from a stab wound and claims she was poisoned. The other woman was holding the weapon."

"We have a recording of Ashford confessing to multiple murders," Mercier said. "Before she destroyed the wire the victim was wearing."

"A recording can be examined later," the officer said. "Right now, I have a pregnant woman who was attacked and another pregnant woman who is covered in her blood."

They loaded Sienna onto a stretcher, and she was still crying and holding her stomach. One of the paramedics was checking her vitals while another secured an oxygen mask over her face.

"My baby," she kept saying through the mask. "Someone please tell me about my baby."

Lucas appeared at my side with blood on his shirt from where he had held Tehila. "I can’t believe what is happening."

"We need a lawyer, now."

"Morrison is already on it." Lucas pulled out his phone. "He is coordinating with Swiss authorities, but this is going to take time."

I watched them put Tehila in the back of a police car. She was hunched over with her arms around her stomach, and even from here, I could see she was bleeding.

"She needs a hospital," I said to the nearest officer. "Not a police station."

"Medical will see her at the station," he replied without looking at me.

The police car pulled away, and I felt Lucas grab my shoulder to stop me from running after it. "We cannot help her if we get arrested too."

He was right, but that did not make it easier to watch. I turned back to see them loading Sienna into an ambulance. She had stopped crying now and was lying very still on the stretcher.

For just a second, her eyes met mine through the crowd, and I saw her smile.

Then the ambulance doors closed, and the sirens started, and she was gone.

"She planned this," I said. "Every second of it."

Lucas nodded. "The poison was never meant to kill her. Just to make her look like a victim."

Agent Mercier joined us outside the bank. "I have the recording from before Ashford destroyed the wire. Sienna confessed to all four murders and detailed her methods. It should be enough."

"Should be?" Lucas turned to face him. "What do you mean should be?"

"Swiss police were not really part of our operation," Mercier said. "They arrived at the crime scene and made arrests based on what they observed. A defence attorney will argue the recording could have been edited or manipulated. Physical evidence is harder to dispute."

"The physical evidence is that Sienna attacked Tehila first," I said. "Look at her throat. Sienna tried to strangle her."

"And Tehila stabbed Sienna with a letter opener," Mercier replied. "That is what they will focus on."

I wanted to hit something to release the rage building in my chest.

"How long until we can see her?" Lucas asked.

"Hours. They will process her, and a doctor will examine her injuries. Then they will decide whether to transport her to a hospital or keep her in custody."

"She is losing blood," I said. "The baby might not have hours."

My phone rang, and Morrison's name appeared on the screen. I answered and put him on speaker.

"I have been in contact with the Swiss Federal Police," Morrison said. "They are willing to review the evidence, but they will not release Tehila until they complete their investigation."

"How long?" Lucas asked.

"Forty-eight hours minimum," Morrison said. "Unless we can prove Sienna is lying about being attacked."

"We have her confession on tape," I said.

"And she has a stab wound in her shoulder," Morrison replied. "Plus whatever poison she claims Tehila forced her to drink. The optics are bad."

I closed my eyes and tried to think. Sienna was always three steps ahead. She had known exactly how this would play out.

"What about the other evidence?" Lucas asked. "The documents linking her to the other victims."

"All of that supports the murder charges," Morrison said. "But it does not disprove that Tehila stabbed her today."

"Self-defence," I said. "Sienna attacked her first."

"Can you prove that?" Morrison asked.

I could not. The wire had been destroyed before the physical fight started. All we had was Tehila's word against Sienna's.

"I am getting on a plane," Morrison said. "I will be there in ten hours. Until then, do not talk to anyone without a lawyer present."

He hung up, and I shoved the phone back in my pocket. An ambulance was still parked at the curb with its lights flashing. The same one they had loaded Sienna into.

"Why are they still here?" I asked.

Mercier looked over, and his expression changed. "I do not know."

We walked to the ambulance, and I could see paramedics moving around inside. One of them opened the back door and stepped out.

"Is she stable?" Mercier asked in French.

The paramedic nodded. "The shoulder wound will need surgery, but it is not life-threatening."

"And the baby?" I asked even though I knew the answer.

The paramedic looked confused. "What baby?"

"She said she was pregnant," Mercier said. "She was concerned about her baby's safety."

"We ran a preliminary test," the paramedic said. "Standard protocol for any woman of childbearing age who claims pregnancy. The test was negative."

Mercier stepped closer. "Are you certain?"

"Completely," the paramedic replied. "She is not pregnant, and based on her hormone levels, she has not been pregnant recently."

Lucas laughed. "She lied. Of course, she lied."

"What about the poison?" I asked. "What did she drink?"

The paramedic pulled out a small evidence bag containing the shattered vial. "We tested the residue. It was an herbal supplement. Valerian root mixed with chamomile. It’s completely harmless."

"So she was never poisoned," Mercier said.

"No." The paramedic sealed the evidence bag. "She may experience mild drowsiness, but nothing more serious than that."