Silent Harbour

Chapter 27: Brothers' Brawl

Just like that, I fold and divulge to Chione everything I came to know of Jack's whereabouts. I tell her about our accidental meeting, the blatant lies he tried selling me, his alias, and what I suspected of Jack and Arthur's tumultuous relationship.

I omit any details of my heist. She specifically asked me to tell her about Jack, so that's what I did. If I tell her about the receipt now, there will surely be an officer or detective at my doorstep with a warrant to take it under the guise of evidence for Peter's case. Until I have the chance to explore its details for myself, I hope to keep it a secret for as long as possible.

"Thank you for sharing your findings with me. I understand that, for journalists, information is your currency. I appreciate the sacrifice." Chione directs her eyes back to the computer to finish typing up notes from our conversation.

"At the end of the day, my only goal is to uncover the truth behind Peter's death. If that means handing over my research, then so be it."

"This is completely unorthodox and will need to be off the books, but how would you like to tag along with me to check in on Mr. Rochester at the hospital?"

"Yes, absolutely, I'd love to come along. When are you thinking of heading over?"

"Right about now, actually. I hope that works for you."

"Even if it didn't, I'd make it work. Let's go."

**********

We step outside into the crisp air, and Chione heads towards a sleek, unmarked car. She unlocks it with a beep and gestures for me to get in. I slide into the passenger seat, the leather cool against my skin. She starts the engine, and we pull out onto the street.

"What kind of condition is he in?" I ask as we near our destination.

"He woke up for a brief period earlier on, but since then the doctors have him sedated to help speed along the healing process. We won't be able to talk to him, but I want to see his admission report for myself." She continues. "This case has been escalated to a priority case under investigation for attempted murder, conspiracy to commit a crime, and arson, so I was able to get a subpoena issued by the court overnight to have Arthur's medical records released to our department immediately."

We pull into the hospital parking lot and find a spot. As we walk towards the entrance, I feel a knot of anxiety tighten in my stomach. The sterile smell of the hospital hits me as soon as we step inside, and the fluorescent lights cast an almost harsh glow on everything.

Thankfully we don't wait too long before a nurse tells us where they've moved Arthur after his initial admission. There's a police officer stationed outside his room; after all, at least according to Silent Harbour's standards, he is considered both a high-ticket victim and suspect.

Just as I expected, he's intubated. There's not much new information we can gather from him while he's in this state. If anything, the trip over to the hospital is still well worth it to bring myself some mild comfort in knowing that Arthur is alive and Jack is not.

"Good afternoon, Detective Westwood. It's nice to see you again." I turn around to see a small group of doctors have strolled into the room. The one wearing a white coat leads the pack. He turns towards me and continues. "Hello, I'm Dr. Barton. I'm the ICU attending overseeing Mr. Rochester's care."

"I'm Emery Pierce. It's nice to meet you. I'm a journalist and family friend of the Rochesters." I shake his hand and give a nod in greeting to the others on his team.

Chione doesn't waste any time with further small talk. "How's he doing, doc?"

"To be frank, Mr. Rochester has suffered some burns and smoke inhalation. In the interest of protecting his airway, we intubated him and placed him on mechanical ventilation. We have him on a couple different sedatives. Just standard protocol."