Chapter 53

“This man is a wanted fugitive, and he just gave my mother poison. Please don’t touch the water glass beside her bed. It’s probably got his fingerprints on it.”

The nurse looked at Nate for a long moment, and Quentin realized she was assessing his sincerity.

“How do you know that, Sir?” she finally said.

“Because I heard him talking to his wife about it,” Nate said.

“Exactly what did you hear, Sir?” she said.

Nate repeated the mental conversation he’d overheard almost verbatim, then added, “They were almost whispering, but I heard every word.”

“So did I,” Quentin said.

They were interrupted by a beeping sound coming from the room, so the nurse went inside to check it.

Thorndyke’s wife started to ease away from the group, but Quentin grabbed her by the arm. “Oh, no, you don’t. Didn’t you jump bail with your husband?”

“Of course, she did,” Nate said. “Almost every member of the cult was indicted, including all of the leadership.”