Chapter 11: The Aftermath...

The carriage ride back to our safe house was tense, the air thick with unspoken fears. Lillian sat beside me, her delicate hands clasped tightly in her lap, her usual composure shattered. Carter, his knuckles white against the reins, kept his eyes fixed ahead, saying nothing.

The city passed in a blur beyond the carriage window - gas lamps flickering in the quiet of the night,cobbled streets lined with darkened buildings. I barely noticed. My thoughts were still on Thompson.

His voice echoed in my mind, smooth and unhurried. "You remaind me of your husband."

A shiver ran through me. He knew Daniel. And more than that - he had been involved in his death. I had no proof, not yet, but I could feel it in my bones.

I opened the leather journal in my lap, fingers trembling as I flipped through the pages. Names,dates, secret dealings - it was all there. But one name kept appearing in connection with Thompson.

Dr. Elias Radcliffe.

Frowing,I traced my fingers over the ink. "Have either of you heard of Elias Radcliffe?"

Lillian shook her head,but Carter's reaction was different. His grip tightened on the reins, his jaw set in a hard line.

" What is it?" I pressed.

He hesitated. "Radcliffe isn't a business man. He's a scientist. One with a very particular specialty.

Lillian frowned. "What kind of specialty?" Carter exhaled slowly. "Posions."

A chill crawled up my spine. "Then he's not just another name in the journal," he said. "He might be the one who made Daniel's death possible."

Carter nodded grimly. "If he's still alive, he's the only one who can comfirm it."

Lillian glanced between us,her worry evident. "If he worked for Thompson, wouldn't that make him dangerous?"

Carter gave a humorless chuckled. "Dangerous? Absolutely. But he also might be scared. Men like him don't last long once they stop being useful."

I tightened my grip on the journal. "Then we find him."

Carter didn't argue.

Dr. Elias Radcliffe's home was not what I expected. It was a crumbling estate on the outskirts of the city,far removed from the grandeur of Thompson's world. Ivy climbed the stone walls, the iron gate rusted with time. The house itself was dark, lifeless,as though it had been abandoned long ago.

We approached cautiously, Carter leading the way with a hand on his concealed pistol. Lillian hovered beside me, glancing over her shoulder every few steps.

Carter knocked sharply.

A long pause. Then,at last, the door creaked open.

A man stood in the entryway, frail and hunched,his silver hair unkempt, his glasses slipping down his nose. His eyes flickered between us,sharp and wary.

"Dr. Radcliffe?" I asked.

His lips pressed into a thin line. "Who's asking?"

I hesitated before saying, "Someone looking for the truth."

Something in his gaze shifted. For a moment,I thought he might refuse us. But then, with a sigh,he stepped aside.

"Come in."

The inside of the house was as eerie as it's exterior...dust-covered shelves of chemical. Glass vials lined a wooden desk,their contents unknown.

Radcliffe settled into a worn chair, folding his hands in his lap. "You shouldn't have come here."

Carter remained standing, arms crossed. "Neither should half the people mentioned in this journal."

Radcliffe's gaze snapped to mine. "Journal?"

I placed it on the table between us. He hesitated before picking it up, flipping through the pages. His fingers trembled slightly as he read.

Lillian sat beside me, silent but watchful. After a long pause, Radcliffe exhaled and close the book. "You have no idea what you've uncovered."

I met his eyes. "Then tell us."

Radcliffe hesitated,then said,"I was a doctor once. A real one. Before they found me."

Lillian frowned. "Who's they?"

Radcliffe let out a hollow laugh. "Men like Thompson. Men who don't care about medicine - only power."

My stomach twisted. "What did they want from you?"

Radcliffe looked down at his hands. To make death.... untraceable.

Silence filled the room.

Carter's voice was low. "You created their poisons."

Radcliffe's shoulders sagged. "I did. But I didn't know what I was getting into at first. They told me it was for research - advancements in medicine and science. By the time I realized the truth,it was too late."

I swallowed hard. "They used your work to kill people."

Radcliffe nodded slowly. "And now,if Thompson knows you've been asking questions, you won't be an exception."

A weight settled in my chest.

Thompson didn't just order deaths. He controlled how they happened.

We left Radcliffe's house with more questions than answers.

The moment we stepped outside, Carter pulled me aside. "We need to leave the city. Now.

I shook my head. "We are too close."

"Exactly,"he snapped. "Too close to getting killed."

Lillian shifted uncomfortably. "Everly... maybe Carter's right. If Thompson really controls how these murders happen,then we're already...."

A gunshot rang out.

The world slowed.

I spun around just as Radcliffe staggered backward,a crimson bloom spreading across his chest.

Lillian screamed.

Carter lunged, yanking me behind him as another shot rang out, shattering the lantern by the door.

Shadows moved in alley. Footsteps. Voices.

Thompson's men. They had followed us.

Radcliffe gasped, blood trickling from his lips. He reached for me, his fingers curling around my wrist. His voice was a whisper, barely audible.

"Find the ledger."

Then, his body went still.

A cold,sharp pain through my chest,but there was no time to grieve.

Carter pulled his gun. "Run."

We ran.

By the time we reached the carriage,my heart was pounding. Lillian sobbed quietly beside me. Carter's hands were tight on the reins, his expression unreadable.

I forced myself to breathe. Radcliffe had given us one final clue.

The ledger.

Something Thompson didn't want us to find.

I looked down at the journal in my hands, Radcliffe's blood staining the edges, the truth was buried in these pages,in the names,in the secrets.

And Thompson was willing to kill anyone to keep it hidden.

Carter's voice was grim. "What's the plan?"

I closed my eyes for a brief moment, steadying myself.

Then I looked up.

"We find the ledger."

And we end this.