Roseanne leaned against the counter in Jennie's kitchen and massaged her scar. Time ticked by silently on the clock above the stove. The only sound was the pounding in Roseanne's brain.
She stiffened when Jennie swept into the room. "Well?"
Jennie set the cordless phone on the table. "Lisa and her lawyer are at the station. So far, they're cooperating."
Roseanne braced both hands on the counter. Her heart felt like it was being ripped to shreds. Everything she'd believed up to this point was turning out to be a lie.
"Joonki Yi's one of the best attorneys in Seoul, Roseanne. Their questioning won't last long. He won't let it."
"Oh, God," Roseanne muttered, unable to fight back the panic. "Lisa knew Jaehyun didn't die in that plane crash."
Jennie leaned back against the table and crossed her arms. "That's yet to be proven. What can be proved is that Lisa's secretary saw Jaehyun in Lisa's office the day before that crash here in Seoul. And that Lisa appears to be the last person to have seen him alive."
Roseanne's eyes slid closed. "Why?" she whispered. "Why wouldn't she tell me the truth?"
"I don't know. But there's more." When Roseanne glanced up, Jennie shifted. "Choi Jaehyun, a.k.a. Jeong Jaehyun, and Jeong Haneul were both silent partners in Grayson Pharmaceuticals, an Australian company with a specialized drug portfolio. AmCorp recently acquired Grayson for a good chunk of change, alleviating some of their cash-flow problems. With AmCorp's clout, they were about to push Amatroxin through for KFDA approval, based on a series of clinical studies supposedly conducted in Australia."
"Amatroxin is Tabofren under a different name, isn't it?" Roseanne asked, already knowing the answer.
"There's no proof as of yet, but that would be my guess. The detective in Australia I chatted with mentioned paperwork taken from Jeong Haneul's home referencing both drugs."
"Lisa knew about the possible link between the two." Roseanne drew in a breath to keep the tears of anger back. "She stood in Mina Song's living room and pretended like she didn't know a thing about Amatroxin."
"Jaehyun disappeared just after the merger went through. Lisa's secretary said she heard Lisa and Jaehyun arguing that day in her office, although she can't say what the debate was about."
Roseanne dropped her head. "They think Lisa killed Jaehyun. For what? Money?"
"Money's a huge motivator for some people," Jennie said softly. "Lisa stood to make a killing if Amatroxin was approved. Jaehyun developed it, he had a hand in testing it, but with him out of the way, the wealth floats to the top."
"You don't honestly believe that," Roseanne said, bile rising in her stomach.
"No, Roseanne. I don't. But that's the way the police are going to paint it."
"And Irene Bae? They think she killed her to cover up the research study?"
"They'll be able to link Irene Bae to Jaehyun through the nursing home. They'll try to prove Lisa covered up evidence. If word got out illegal trials had taken place, Amatroxin would never be approved."
Roseanne's eyes slid closed. "And the car?"
Jennie sighed. "They'll try to say she tampered with the brakes, knowing you'd be in it alone. With you out of the way, she double-benefits. She doesn't have to pay back the life insurance claim, and there's no one to ask questions about Tabofren. You're the key to all of this, Roseanne."
