Part 17
When I told Jack about the encounter at the market, he didn't hesitate. He knew that the only way to break this chain of terror was to confront the source. The next morning, he boarded a flight to the maximum-security facility three states away. He needed to look Marlene in the eyes and force her to talk.
The visitation room was sterile and cold, separated by a thick pane of reinforced glass. When Marlene was led into the room by two armed guards, she looked vastly different from the woman who had terrorized our home. She was wearing a drab orange jumpsuit, her hair was thinning, and her skin looked pale and sallow under the harsh fluorescent lights.
But the moment she saw Jack sitting across from her, that familiar, mocking glint returned to her eyes. She picked up the plastic phone receiver, a slow, twisted smile spreading across her lips.
"Jack," she purred, her voice coming through the static of the receiver. "You look terrible. Is the family not sleeping well?"
"Who is she, Marlene?" Jack asked, his voice deathly quiet, refusing to play her psychological games. "An elegant woman, late forties, beige coat. She approached my wife and daughter at the market. She knows about the trunk in the attic."
Marlene let out a sharp, dry laugh that turned into a coughing fit. When she wiped her mouth, her eyes danced with malicious delight. "Oh, so you found the old man's little treasure chest, did you? I told her you were too stupid to look under the floorboards, but I guess you surprised both of us."
"Give me a name," Jack slammed his hand against the glass, his restraint finally snapping. "Who paid you to poison my father? Who is watching my family?!"
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Marlene leaned in close to the glass, her breath fogging the surface. Her voice dropped to a chilling, venomous whisper. "You think I was the mastermind, Jack? I was just the contractor. Your father’s old business partner didn't want to share the inheritance when the company dissolved. She gave me the untraceable toxins, she gave me the keys to his house, and she promised me a cut of the final estate value."
She paused, her smile turning entirely feral. "The roots go deeper than the kitchen floor, Jack. Her name is Eleanor Vance. And if she knows you have those financial ledgers, she won't just use poison this time. She will burn your whole world down to keep those secrets buried."
