Chapter 60: A New Clue

The cold of the early morning seeped into the bones as the car moved along a winding path, flanked by tall trees that darkened the road even more. Amanda and Edward sat in the back seat, chained and watched by Caleb, who casually held a gun. Miranda drove in silence, with Isabel sitting in the passenger seat, gazing out the window with a somber expression.

—How much longer? —Caleb asked impatiently, drumming his fingers on the gun.

—About thirty minutes —Miranda answered without taking her eyes off the road—. The place is safe, far from any suspicion.

Edward looked at Caleb through the rearview mirror, his eyes filled with a mix of defiance and exhaustion.

—How much longer are you planning to keep us like this? —he asked firmly, despite the circumstances.

Caleb smirked mockingly.

—As long as necessary, old man. Although, to be honest, I’m not sure you’ll make it out alive.

Amanda gasped, gripping Edward’s arm.

—What do you mean by that? —she whispered, her eyes full of panic.

—Caleb, enough —Miranda intervened, irritated—. We don’t need them dead, just out of the way.

—That’s for me to decide —Caleb replied coldly, giving Miranda a crooked smile—. Don’t forget who’s doing the dirty work here.

Isabel turned her head toward Caleb, her expression hardening.

—You don’t have to intimidate them more than necessary. We already have what we need, right?

—You too, Isabel? —Caleb laughed softly—. Looks like everyone here forgets that I’m in charge.

Silence fell over the car, tense and suffocating.

The vehicle stopped in front of a cabin hidden among the trees. Miranda turned off the engine and looked at Isabel.

—Go inside and make sure everything is ready.

Isabel left without arguing, entering the cabin and checking the chains, supplies, and sealed windows. Caleb got out of the car, opening the back door roughly.

—Come on, old man. —He told Edward, dragging him out of the car—. Time for your new cell.

Edward struggled, but Caleb’s strength was overwhelming. Amanda tried to follow, but Miranda stopped her with a tug on her arm.

—Don’t try anything stupid —Miranda warned, her voice low and cold—. This isn’t about you, it’s about Isabella.

Amanda looked at her incredulously.

—What do you mean by that? Why are you doing this?

Miranda pressed her lips together, not responding.

—Leave her alone —Edward intervened, turning his head toward his captor—. If you have problems with Isabella, we can settle it the right way, she’s your sister.

Caleb burst out laughing, pushing Edward toward the cabin.

—It’s always easier to break people by starting with their foundations. Isabella is nothing without you.

Isabel appeared at the cabin door, pointing toward the interior.

—Everything’s ready.

Miranda and Caleb took the prisoners to the basement of the cabin, where they chained them again. Amanda looked at Miranda with pleading eyes.

—Please, let us go. You don’t have to do this.

Miranda avoided her gaze, but her hands trembled as she adjusted the chains. Caleb noticed and smiled.

—Don’t soften now, Miranda. We’re too close to the end.

When they went upstairs, Miranda stopped at the door, looking at Amanda and Edward one last time before locking it.

Caleb slouched on an old couch while Miranda paced back and forth, clearly uneasy.

—What’s bothering you now? —Caleb asked, bored.

—This isn’t right —Miranda replied, stopping to look at him—. Isabella will never stop looking for them.

—Then we have to make sure she never finds them.

Caleb’s words fell like a bucket of cold water. Miranda stared at him, realizing how far they had come and how irreversible everything had become.

The next day, Alexander left the mansion very early, knowing he had to go to the hospital in person since something didn’t add up.

The cold light of the hospital illuminated Alexander’s face as his eyes remained fixed on the doctor trembling before him. The tension in the air was palpable; the questions he had been asking for days had to be answered now. In that moment, there was no room for lies.

—I want to know what really happened with Isabella’s parents —Alexander said, his voice calm but full of strength, making it clear he wouldn’t accept evasions.

The doctor, visibly nervous, swallowed hard and looked toward the windows as if searching for an escape. However, the door was closed, and he knew he couldn’t escape Alexander’s piercing gaze.

—What I’m about to tell you... it’s not in the official records. No one knows —he said, his voice trembling. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

Alexander stepped closer, saying nothing, but his presence was enough for the doctor to continue.

—Isabella’s parents... they didn’t die in the car accident. They were alive when they arrived at the hospital, but... —the doctor hesitated, nervously glancing around before continuing—. A woman arrived shortly after the accident. She said she was Isabella’s parents’ daughter, and that she needed to take them to another hospital for further treatment. She said we should do a DNA test if we didn’t believe her, and indeed, she was their daughter, and that’s why she was allowed to take them, both of them, the husband and wife.

Alexander frowned, confused by the new revelations.

—A woman? —he asked, still not fully understanding. —Who was she? How did she know they were there?

—I don’t know —the doctor responded, his voice increasingly desperate—. I couldn’t get much information from her. She insisted she had to take the patients. No one questioned her too much. She did it with such confidence that the other doctors and staff didn’t doubt she knew what she was doing.

The doctor paused, and the tension in the air grew. Alexander took another step toward him, almost pressing his face to the doctor’s.

—And no one thought to ask questions? —he inquired, his fury barely contained. —Didn’t anyone try to verify her identity?

The doctor shook his head, embarrassed.

—No... The woman was so convinced of what she was saying that she made us think everything was fine. Her attitude was so firm, and the DNA test came back positive... She was so sure of herself... No one thought anything was wrong.

Alexander breathed deeply, trying to process the information. Now everything seemed to make sense, but there were still too many questions unanswered.

—And what happened to the documents? Wasn’t there any record of the patients’ transfer? —Alexander asked, his eyes now burning with the desire to obtain more details.

—Yes —the doctor nodded quickly—. But they were altered. The transfer was recorded as a routine procedure. It said the patients, Isabella’s parents, needed to be taken somewhere else for medical reasons. However, the records were altered afterward, and no one investigated further. Everything seemed in order.

The doctor raised his hands, as if asking for forgiveness.