Chapter 10 - What Really Happened on Lower Wacker
Police surrounded the north boathouse, but Marcus never entered it.
The SUV was abandoned.
The phone Dominic had spoken to was left on the dock, still warm.
Marcus had wanted to be seen.
He had wanted Dominic angry.
That made Dominic more careful.
Back at the estate, Arthur finally asked for formal counsel and stopped speaking.
Vincent recovered a second backup drive from the garage system.
This one contained footage from the night of Dominic's crash.
A Vale maintenance truck had followed Dominic's sedan onto Lower Wacker.
Twenty minutes earlier, the same truck had been recorded beside Dominic's parking space.
Its driver was Kevin Doyle.
When confronted from his hospital bed, Kevin shook his head violently.
"I moved the truck. I didn't touch your car."
"Who did?"
"Marcus."
"He said he only needed access to the car," Kevin whispered. "I thought he was planting a tracker."
Dominic's face hardened. "And after the crash?"
"Arthur told me you survived. Marcus said the plan changed."
"To the brace."
Kevin nodded.
The goal had not been to kill Dominic the second time.
It had been to make him weak.
Confused.
Dependent.
Then medically remove him while Marcus remained hidden behind Arthur.
Dominic returned to the estate just before dawn.
Ellie was asleep against Clare on a library sofa.
Dominic stood watching them when Mercer approached.
"The lab called about your pills."
Dominic turned.
"What were they?"
"A sedating muscle relaxant at a dose strong enough to worsen balance and make rehabilitation look like it was failing."
Dominic absorbed that.
Mercer hesitated.
"There is more."
"Say it."
"The prescription change was approved through my credentials."
"Stolen?"
Mercer's eyes dropped.
"No."
Dominic's voice went quiet.
"Then who did you give them to?"
May you like
Mercer closed his eyes.
"Arthur Voss."
