Chapter 4 - The Hidden Discrepancy
Within two weeks, Adeline noticed the ledger. Not a financial ledger, but Nico’s physical therapy and medication logs. The physical therapist, a professional named Dr. Vance, checked off milestone targets that Nico’s muscle tone simply did not support. More troubling was the nightly routine. Camille Ashcroft visited every evening at eight o'clock, always bringing a glass of water or a customized vitamin drink, and insisted on handing Nico his evening prescription herself.
Adeline had watched from the doorway on her third night, seeing how Nico’s hands trembled after he swallowed the purple capsule Camille provided. It wasn't the natural tremor of a spinal injury recovery; it was the chemical suppression of central nervous system stimulants. Someone was actively keeping him weak. Someone didn't want those legs to heal.
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When Adeline checked the pill dispenser the next morning, she found the discrepancy. The purple capsules were listed as a standard nerve-pain stabilizer, but a quick chemical test kit from her medical supplies revealed a high concentration of a sedative compound meant for severe psychiatric disorders—a drug that induced lethargy, cognitive fog, and muscular atrophy when paired with his paralysis.
Who had access to the private pharmacy supplies? Only Dr. Vance, Camille, and the estate’s personal apothecary physician. Adeline began keeping her own log, snapping photos of the medication packaging and storing duplicate pills in a specimen bag tucked away in the toe of an old running shoe in her closet. She realized she was walking through a minefield, but every time she looked at Wes’s medical bills, she knew she couldn't walk away.
