Chapter 5
The digital clock on the dashboard glared 2:15 AM as Nathan and Dr. Vance mapped out their dangerous strategy inside the quiet car. The hospital garage was mostly empty now, save for a few overnight employee vehicles and a lone security van parked near the exit ramp.
“We can’t go to the police with just these lab logs,” Nathan argued, shaking his head as he pointed at the manila folder. “Detective Miller is already inclined to believe Clara’s victim act. We need hard, undeniable proof that she administered the substance herself, not just circumstantial evidence pointing to her motive.”
“There’s a way,” Dr. Vance said slowly, rubbing his jaw. “When Lily was admitted to Room 402 three weeks ago, maintenance installed a smart-monitoring environmental sensor near the ceiling vent to track humidity for the sterile equipment. It has an integrated wide-angle security lens that records a continuous loop for compliance auditing.”
Nathan stared at him, a glimmer of hope cutting through the heavy despair. “Does Clara know about it?”
“No. It’s positioned blind to the bed from normal viewing angles, but because the mattress was moved during last week’s room reconfiguration, the lens has a direct, unobstructed view of the IV pump table,” Dr. Vance explained, pulling a small flash drive from his pocket. “I pulled the administrative keycard override from the IT closet an hour ago. If we can get into the server terminal on the third floor, we can download the raw footage from that lens.”
“Third floor?” Nathan frowned. “The NICU and records server room are heavily guarded, especially at night.”
“Which is why we go through the old utility maintenance shaft behind the laundry chutes,” Dr. Vance replied grimly. “It’s cramped, dirty, and technically off-limits, but it bypasses every electronic checkpoint on the west wing.”
Ten minutes later, the two men stood outside a rusted metal access panel half-hidden behind industrial rolling bins in the hospital basement. The air smelled of damp lint and bleach. Nathan pulled open the squeaking door, stepping into the dark vertical shaft where a rusted metal ladder stretched upward into the gloom. Every muscle in his body screamed against the physical exertion, but the thought of Lily lying helpless in her room fueled his movements.
They climbed in silence, their boots clanging softly against the rungs until they reached a horizontal grating overlooking the third-floor server annex. Through the metal mesh, Nathan could see a lone night technician slumped over a computer monitor, fast asleep with a half-empty paper cup of coffee beside his hand.
Dr. Vance gestured for Nathan to stay put while he carefully unlatched the floor grate. The metal hinges gave a faint, metallic click that made Nathan’s heart leap into his throat. Fortunately, the sleeping technician didn't stir. Dr. Vance slipped silently through the opening, dropping lightly onto the carpeted floor of the server room.
Nathan followed closely behind, his breath catching as his boots touched the ground. They moved toward the main diagnostic terminal, a towering black rack of servers blinking with dozens of tiny green and amber status lights. Dr. Vance jammed the flash drive into the primary USB port, his fingers flying across the command-line interface with practiced speed.
“Come on, come on,” Dr. Vance muttered under his breath as a progress bar crept slowly across the screen. “Directory 402... archival logs... timestamp matching yesterday evening at 5:45 PM.”
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The screen flickered, and a high-definition video file populated the active window. Nathan stepped closer, his eyes locking onto the monitor as the camera angle shifted downward to reveal the clear, indisputable image of Clara standing beside Lily’s bed, sliding a syringe directly into the IV injection port with cold, mechanical precision.
***
