Chapter 6 — The Family Lawyer Reveals Eleanor's New Will
# The Loyal Witness
## Chapter 6 — The Fingerprints No One Expected
Michael stood frozen outside the toxicology laboratory.
The words echoed through his mind.
**The fingerprints don't belong to Claire.**
For several long seconds...
Neither he nor Andrew spoke.
Finally, Michael looked at Dr. Harris.
"Whose fingerprints are they?"
The physician slowly shook his head.
"We don't know yet."
"The laboratory only confirmed one thing."
"They belong to someone already in the national fingerprint database."
Andrew frowned.
"A criminal?"
"Not necessarily."
Dr. Harris replied.
"It could be law enforcement..."
"A government employee..."
"Military personnel..."
"Anyone whose fingerprints were legally recorded."
Michael's expression hardened.
"So someone handled that poison..."
"...before Claire ever touched it."
---
The forensic laboratory was unusually quiet.
Senior analyst Dr. Rebecca Sloan placed several enlarged fingerprint photographs onto the table.
"The packet contained two usable sets."
She pointed to the first image.
"This partial print belongs to Claire Whitmore."
Michael nodded.
"We expected that."
Rebecca slid another photograph forward.
"But this full print..."
"...belongs to someone else."
Andrew leaned closer.
"It was underneath Claire's print."
Rebecca nodded.
"Which means..."
"That person handled the packet first."
"Claire touched it afterward."
Michael immediately understood.
Claire hadn't prepared the poison herself.
Someone had supplied it.
---
Just then...
The laboratory computer emitted a sharp notification.
Rebecca looked toward the monitor.
"The database finished searching."
She clicked the report.
Her eyes widened.
Then...
She looked at Michael.
"I think you'd better see this."
Michael stepped forward.
The identification screen displayed one name.
**Daniel Mercer.**
Age forty-eight.
Former Army medic.
Currently employed at—
Michael's heartbeat stopped.
**St. Augustine Medical Center.**
Andrew whispered,
"He's one of Mom's employees?"
Rebecca slowly nodded.
"Not exactly."
She scrolled farther.
Daniel Mercer worked for an outside medical supply contractor.
His company serviced hospital pharmacies throughout Arizona.
"He has authorized access..."
"...to medication storage rooms."
Michael felt a cold chill.
That explained everything.
Someone with legal access could obtain almost any medication without attracting attention.
---
Dr. Harris immediately contacted hospital administration.
Within fifteen minutes...
Daniel Mercer's personnel file sat on the conference table.
Michael flipped through the pages.
Excellent employment history.
No disciplinary actions.
Outstanding performance reviews.
Nothing unusual.
Until...
Andrew stopped turning pages.
"Wait."
He pointed toward Daniel's emergency contact information.
There was only one listed relative.
**Claire Whitmore.**
The room fell completely silent.
Michael slowly looked up.
"My wife..."
"...listed as his emergency contact?"
Dr. Harris frowned.
"That shouldn't happen."
"They're not related."
Rebecca typed Daniel's name into another database.
A marriage certificate appeared.
Daniel Mercer...
Had never been married.
No children.
No siblings.
No explanation.
Then why Claire?
---
Michael immediately ordered hospital security to locate Daniel.
A supervisor made several phone calls.
Minutes later...
He returned looking uneasy.
"We have a problem."
"What now?"
"Daniel clocked out..."
"...three hours before the poisoning."
Andrew frowned.
"Did anyone see him leave?"
The supervisor hesitated.
"No."
Michael's patience disappeared.
"You have cameras at every exit."
"We checked."
"And?"
The supervisor swallowed.
"He entered the basement."
"But..."
"He never appeared leaving the building."
---
Michael remembered the masked man.
The black SUV.
The anonymous flash drive.
Someone knew exactly how to move through the hospital unseen.
Daniel Mercer had vanished the same way.
---
Meanwhile...
Claire sat quietly inside the moving SUV.
The city disappeared behind them.
She looked toward the masked driver.
"Michael knows."
"He'll find Daniel."
The driver remained focused on the road.
"He won't."
Claire's breathing became uneven.
"You promised no one would get hurt."
The driver laughed softly.
"You misunderstood."
"I promised..."
"...you wouldn't get hurt."
Claire stared at him.
For the first time...
She realized she had never actually known the man beside her.
---
The SUV entered an abandoned industrial district on the edge of Scottsdale.
Old warehouses lined the empty streets.
The vehicle finally stopped inside a deserted loading dock.
The masked driver stepped out first.
Claire followed cautiously.
Inside the warehouse...
Another figure waited.
An elderly man in an expensive gray suit.
Silver hair.
Perfect posture.
He slowly turned toward Claire.
She immediately lowered her eyes.
"I'm sorry."
"The dog ruined everything."
The man smiled politely.
"No."
"The dog merely changed the timetable."
Claire looked confused.
"What happens now?"
The man folded his hands behind his back.
"Now..."
"We remove everyone who can identify Daniel."
Claire's face turned white.
"What?"
The old man's smile disappeared.
"That includes..."
"The laboratory."
---
At that exact moment...
Back at St. Augustine Medical Center...
Rebecca Sloan removed the fingerprint report from the printer.
She placed it into a confidential evidence envelope.
Before sealing it...
She noticed something unusual.
Attached to Daniel Mercer's personnel file...
Was a faded employment photograph taken nearly fifteen years earlier.
Rebecca looked closer.
Then picked up the anonymous surveillance still from the parking garage.
Her breathing stopped.
She overlaid the two images.
The beard was different.
The hair was shorter.
But the eyes...
The shape of the jaw...
The scar near the left ear...
They matched perfectly.
Daniel Mercer...
Was the masked driver.
Rebecca immediately reached for the phone.
Before she could dial...
The lights inside the laboratory suddenly went out.
The entire room fell into darkness.
A second later...
The emergency backup lights flickered on.
The laboratory door slowly opened.
Someone stepped inside.
Rebecca couldn't see the person's face.
Only a calm voice.
"Please..."
"Hand me the report."
