Chapter 3 - The Prescription Trail
By dawn, the news station trucks had arrived outside Detroit General Hospital, eager to sensationalize the tragedy of "abandoned children" before anyone bothered to verify the facts. Reporters shoved microphones toward hospital staff, broadcasting speculative lies across local morning news segments.
Inside Room 312, Leo slept peacefully, his fever entirely broken, while Lily rested safely in the bed beside him.
Rachel Brooks stood by the window, watching the media circus outside with a scowl. Her phone buzzed. It was Marcus.
“Rachel, I found something at the complex last night,” Marcus said, his voice urgent over the line. “The man in the hoodie. I chased him behind the building. He dropped something.”
“What is it?”
“A heavy silver thumb ring with a cross. Lily described it perfectly. And that’s not all. I took it to an old contact down at precinct forensic. They pulled latent prints off the inner band. The name tied to the prints is Viktor Vance, a known enforcer for a local debt-collection syndicate run out of the warehouse district on Livernois Avenue.”
Rachel’s eyes widened. “A debt collection syndicate? Was Sarah in debt?”
“Not to a bank,” Marcus replied grimly. “Sarah’s late husband left behind a massive gambling debt before he passed away two years ago. The syndicate has been squeezing her for payments ever since, threatening her children if she didn't comply. They didn't just want money; they wanted to force her to sign over the title to her mother's old estate—which happens to sit on commercially zoned land developers are salivating over.”
Rachel looked at the crumpled pharmacy prescription paper on the bedside table—the very paper Lily had clutched to her chest.
“The pharmacy bag was empty,” Rachel whispered, recalling her initial inspection of the apartment. “The note said she went to get medicine. But what if the pharmacy wasn't her destination? What if she went to confront them, or trade something to protect the kids?”
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“Check the pharmacy address on the prescription header,” Marcus urged. “St. Jude’s Apothecary on 4th Street. It’s right near the Livernois warehouse district.”
Rachel didn't hesitate. She secured a hospital-approved guardian watch for Lily and Leo, briefed the precinct captain, and sped toward 4th Street in her unmarked cruiser.
