Chapter 9 - The Vial
Toxicology transformed case again.
The liquid Eleanor forced Claire to drink contained flecainide.
Correct drug category for certain fetal arrhythmias.
But concentration was nearly twice the dose Claire’s maternal-fetal specialist had prescribed.
Not necessarily fatal in partial spilled amount.
Still unsafe.
Eleanor had picked vial up from courier that morning.
She believed it was legitimate replacement prescription.
Why?
Courier package carried Claire's name externally.
Inside vial label:
BABY A.
Eleanor called clinic number printed.
A nurse confirmed dosing.
That nurse never existed.
The number routed to temporary forwarding service.
Someone wanted Claire given wrong concentration.
Was Martin trying harm fetus?
Investigators resisted leap.
Could be compounding error exploited by someone.
Pharmacy records showed valid lower-dose order.
A second forged order submitted later.
Prescriber signature:
Dr. Elaine Porter.
Elaine denied.
Digital token valid.
IP address:
Bennett mansion guest Wi-Fi.
Someone in house submitted forged prescription.
Who was present previous evening?
Claire.
Eleanor.
Anna.
Sarah.
Baby B.
Two security staff.
One private nurse.
Ethan away.
Sarah arrived only later.
Anna had technical background.
Suspicion landed.
Anna surrendered devices.
No forged order.
Eleanor’s laptop contained portal access but no submission.
Claire’s tablet? Browser cache showed St. Catherine portal opened at 11:13 p.m.
Claire had been asleep.
Who used it?
Home camera showed someone entering Claire’s study.
Sarah?
No.
Private nurse:
Melissa Grant.
The whistleblower technician.
Why was she in mansion?
Eleanor had secretly hired Melissa to help interpret Sarah records.
Again Eleanor had filled house with investigators without Ethan knowing.
Melissa admitted using Claire tablet.
But not to forge medication.
She logged into portal because her old St. Catherine credentials still worked.
She wanted download Case 4471 history before deletion.
She left browser open.
Someone else could use session.
Security footage then showed Anna entering study at 11:29.
Anna said she was looking for Eleanor.
At 11:32 forged order transmitted.
Anna finally cracked.
“I submitted it.”
Claire stared.
“Why?”
Anna insisted she did not alter concentration intentionally.
She had found draft “Baby A fetal rhythm medication” inside Case 4471 and believed it was urgent physician order stuck pending.
She clicked release.
“Why were you in medical portal at all?”
“I was trying to prove Martin was still manipulating case.”
“You released medicine to pregnant woman while playing investigator?”
Anna began crying.
“Yes.”
The draft itself had been created by Martin’s account.
Who entered wrong concentration?
Metadata:
MKEENE.
Martin denied.
But device fingerprint traced to his phone.
For first time direct.
He had created high-dose draft.
Why?
He claimed typo.
Decimal? Dose doubled, not decimal. He argued he copied loading-dose concentration intended for inpatient administration, not oral home dose.
Possible serious error.
Then he failed to delete draft.
Anna unauthorized release transformed draft into actual prescription.
So no evidence Martin intended poison Claire.
His negligent/possibly reckless draft plus Anna's unauthorized action produced dangerous vial.
Eleanor then forced it into semiconscious Claire.
Three separate failures.
No single attempted murder required.
But Ethan asked:
“Why was Martin editing Baby A medication at all?”
Because he was monitoring both A and B after learning each had arrhythmia.
Why?
Liability.
If genetically identical infants developed same condition, lawsuit against clinic could expand.
He wanted gather data before family learned.
Again control.
Then newborn Baby B underwent cardiac genetic testing.
She carried variant associated with arrhythmia risk.
Claire’s fetus likely same.
Condition originated genetically, not from clinic manipulation.
No one caused heart problem.
That was important.
Then Ethan asked Sarah:
“Who called you after delivery and told you not to contact us?”
Sarah played voicemail.
Female voice:
“Baby B has no legal parents yet. Stay quiet until St. Catherine resolves Baby A.”
May you like
Anna recognized voice.
Monica Keene.
