I watched them hustle away in a flurry, sure as anything that something big had gone down; otherwise, Logan wouldn't have bolted too. I quickly turned to Hannah and blurted, "Hannah, go check it out, okay?"
Hannah glanced around, noted the presence of the police, and figured I'd be safe enough. She nodded and immediately hurried to follow.
I was left scratching my head. What exactly had happened that made both Logan and Dalton rush over?
It looked like they were both heading the same way. Could it be that Jerome had shown up again?
My hunch was confirmed soon enough when Logan and Hannah came rushing back.
I didn't even have to ask. Logan read the question in my eyes and whispered, "Jerome was there, but the slippery devil got away!"
I was taken aback and pressed on, "What happened? How did he escape?"
"He was very cunning, even disguised himself. Plus, he knows the hospital layout like the back of his hand," Logan recounted with detail, "Our guys didn't corner him. Looks like he was prepared; jumped right out of a third-floor window onto some cushioning he had set up!"
I stared at Logan, dumbfounded, imagining the scene, and let out a sigh, "I gotta hand it to him; the guy's got a crew. The thugs who ambushed me must be Jerome's guys; they shouted my name."
I thought back to the scuffle just now - how Larkin had swooped in to save me. I'd glanced back to see at least a half-dozen of Jerome's goons held back by Larkin.
Logan was lost in thought for a long while before he finally said, "Seems like Clara tipping you off wasn't just to help you. It was a decoy, meant to draw the police to the Eastgate District while Jerome slipped away to check on Hazel."
Hearing Logan put it that way, I couldn't help but agree with him.
"And Clara going off the grid wasn't 'cause she was scared to pick up the phone. It was a stalling tactic. They never intended for Catherine to make it. They wanted to use her for a big distraction, to draw the Internet's eyes."
"You're saying, to take the heat off Medsafe Liyah Inc.?" I pieced together Logan's line of thought instantly.
"Exactly! That's why they arranged the explosion in the room where Catherine was, both to destroy Catherine and to blow up the police to make a big fuss, relieving the pressure on Medsafe Liyah Inc.," Logan said with certainty.
"A triple play! What was Catherine's condition when you found her?" I finally got a chance to ask Logan about it.
"When I got there, the room was a total mess from the blast. But we found Catherine under the bed, knocked out cold!" Logan recalled vividly.
"Under the bed?" I was puzzled. How did she end up there?
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