Chapter 12 - The Witness Comes Forward
Detective Harris immediately opened his tablet.
The recovered security footage began playing.
Although the image was grainy, the hospital corridor was clearly visible.
Ethan lay asleep in his recovery room.
A nurse checked his chart before leaving.
Thirty seconds later...
A man wearing maintenance overalls entered.
He closed the door behind him.
The video had no audio.
The passengers leaned forward.
The man looked around carefully.
Then he approached Ethan's bed.
He reached beneath the blanket.
His hands disappeared near Ethan's injured leg.
After less than fifteen seconds, he stood again.
Before leaving, he turned toward the sleeping patient.
He remained motionless.
Watching him.
Then he walked away.
The video ended.
The mother whispered,
"He never repaired anything."
Detective Harris nodded.
"He wasn't maintenance."
The older paramedic examined the suspect's posture.
"Can you zoom in?"
Collins enlarged the frame.
The face remained hidden beneath a cap.
But something caught Ethan's attention.
"The watch."
Everyone looked.
The suspect wore an old silver wristwatch with a cracked blue dial.
Ethan's breathing became uneven.
"I know that watch."
"You do?" Harris asked.
Ethan nodded.
"My father owned one exactly like it."
Silence returned.
"But..."
He frowned.
"He disappeared years ago."
Collins lowered the tablet.
"We already checked."
"The watch belongs to someone else now."
"Who?"
"A former hospital employee."
"What was his job?"
"Orthopedic technician."
The nurse suddenly remembered something.
"He worked with medical braces."
Harris nodded.
"Exactly."
"He resigned six months ago."
"Officially."
"But yesterday..."
"He entered the hospital using someone else's identification."
The elderly passenger who had once been saved by Ethan slowly raised his hand.
"I may have seen him."
Every detective turned.
"Where?"
"Three days ago."
"Near Riverside Bridge."
"He was arguing with another man."
"What did they say?"
"I only heard one sentence."
The old man closed his eyes, recalling every word.
"The technician shouted..."
"'If the boy remembers my face, we're both finished.'"
A heavy silence settled over the bus.
Detective Harris slowly closed the tablet.
Then he looked directly at Ethan.
"What exactly happened during your surgery?"
Ethan's expression slowly changed.
For the first time that day...
May you like
He looked genuinely frightened.
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