Dr. Taylor shifted slightly, her gaze unwavering as she reached into the collar of her blouse, withdrawing a tiny vial that shimmered under the sterile lights of the interrogation room. The sight of it made Sophia's heart skip a beat, and Reed's jaw clenched. This was the antidote, just as they'd hoped but the calm, self-assured glint in Dr. Taylor's eyes reminded them both that they were still playing her game.
"Before you get too excited," Dr. Taylor began, tucking the vial back out of sight, "I won't be handing this over without formalities. I'm not here to bargain without security."
At that moment, the door creaked open. To Sophia and Reed's surprise, the district attorney, Harold Winslow, strode in, his gaze skimming the room with cool detachment before settling on Dr. Taylor. The slight nod he gave her sent a chill down Sophia's spine. Winslow's arrival was too perfectly timed, too seamless, almost as though he'd been waiting for her call.
As Winslow entered the room, Reed's jaw clenched instinctively, his dislike for the man almost palpable. Harold Winslow was a name that resonated throughout the precinct and not in a good way. Known for his cunning and cutthroat strategies, Winslow had a reputation for defending the kind of clients that other attorneys wouldn't touch. Hardened criminals, fraudsters, and even a few notorious mobsters in the city owed their freedom to his ruthless expertise.
He was a fixture in the world of legal maneuvering, notorious for finding loopholes and using the law's ambiguities to his advantage. Reed had witnessed firsthand how Winslow had turned cases upside down, freeing men and women who had clearly skirted justice. To Winslow, the courtroom was a chessboard, and the law was merely a tool to protect whoever paid him the most.
Reed's expression darkened as he watched Winslow exchange a knowing glance with Dr. Taylor, who sat with an amused, almost triumphant look. The two seemed a perfect match in that moment. Winslow, the sharp attorney willing to compromise anything for his client's benefit and Dr. Taylor, a master manipulator who had somehow ensnared them all.
"Of course," he muttered under his breath, barely loud enough for Sophia to catch, "she would have him in her pocket."
Sophia noticed the look of distaste in Reed's eyes, the barely hidden frustration. But now was not the time for judgments, not when Alex's life hung in the balance.
"Detective." Winslow said, offering a swift, silent acknowledgement. "I understand we have an agreement to finalize?"
Reed narrowed his eyes, his instincts kicking in. "You're awfully prompt, Winslow. Almost as if you knew Dr. Taylor would demand immunity."
Dr. Taylor's smirk widened. "A good attorney anticipates needs, Detective Reed."
Winslow set down a thick stack of papers on the table, tapping them into alignment before sliding them over toward Reed. "I assume you're aware this is a memorandum of immunity," he said in a flat tone, "drafted in exchange for the antidote Dr. Taylor holds. But I would caution you to read carefully."
Reed picked up the document, flipping through its dense paragraphs. His expression quickly shifted from skepticism to indignation as he read the terms. He glanced up, meeting Winslow's unreadable gaze. "Blanket immunity?" he hissed, anger simmering. "You're saying she'll be protected from prosecution for any and all crimes, past and future?"
Winslow met his gaze without flinching. "That's the deal. It's non-negotiable."
Reed's hands clenched around the papers. "You're asking us to let her walk away, not just from this, but from everything. Anything she might do tomorrow, next week, or next year, and we'd have no way to stop her."
Sophia's expression grew tense, though she kept her gaze steady on Winslow. "Reed, we need that antidote," she whispered. "Without it, Alex doesn't stand a chance."
"I get that, Sophia, but we'd be giving her a free pass, one she can exploit however she wants," Reed muttered back, keeping his voice low.
Dr. Taylor, meanwhile, leaned back, watching the exchange with an amused glint. Winslow showed no reaction, but his silence conveyed tacit approval of Dr. Taylor's terms.
"You know as well as I do, Reed," Winslow said in a smooth, polished tone, "that she's holding all the cards. If you want Victim to live, I suggest you stop debating and start signing."
Sophia placed a hand on Reed's arm, her voice a mixture of determination and desperation. "Reed, look at what's at stake. Alex's life isn't replaceable. We'll find a way to handle her later, but right now, we don't have a choice."
He exhaled slowly, scanning her eyes and seeing the weight of her words settle. After a brief, bitter pause, he picked up the pen and reluctantly signed his name as witness to the document, his signature dark and decisive against the pristine paper. Winslow's face betrayed no triumph, and Dr. Taylor simply raised an eyebrow as she took back the papers, glancing at Sophia expectantly.
With a grim expression, Sophia reached into her pocket, producing the locket that Dr. Taylor had demanded. She hesitated for only a moment, but the moment she placed it in Dr. Taylor's outstretched hand, she felt a strange sense of foreboding settle over her.
Dr. Taylor took her time examining the locket, her face impassive, before finally meeting Sophia's eyes. Then, almost with a sense of ceremony, she slid the tiny vial from her sleeve and placed it on the table between them.
"Consider our business concluded, Detective," she said, her tone icy. "And don't squander what you've gained."
As Winslow slid the signed memorandum back into his briefcase and snapped it shut, Dr. Taylor stood with a graceful nonchalance, smoothing her coat and gathering. She looked over at Sophia and Reed with a cool satisfaction.
Reed, however, wasn't ready to let her slip away so easily.
"Not so fast," he said sharply, stepping in front of the door. "You're still staying in custody until we've administered the antidote to Alex and confirmed it works."
Dr. Taylor's lips curved into a faint, mocking smile. She glanced back at Winslow, who seemed unperturbed, his fingers drumming rhythmically against his briefcase as he regarded Reed with the patience of a seasoned predator.
"Detective Reed," Winslow's voice was a smooth, measured drawl. "Dr. Taylor is a free woman as per the terms of this agreement. You signed after all."
Reed scowled, his fists clenching. "I don't care what you've written in that paper. We're not taking any chances. Alex's life isn't up for negotiation."
Winslow gave a soft chuckle, his gaze cool and condescending. "As I'm sure you're aware, Detective, this immunity memorandum guarantees Dr. Taylor her freedom from any further detention, effective immediately. If you'd bothered to read the fine print, you'd know that even a hint of delay on your part constitutes a breach of the terms, and my client would be well within her rights to file for wrongful detention. And trust me, I'd make sure she did."
Reed's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched as he stared down Winslow, who simply raised an eyebrow in response, clearly unfazed. Beside them, Dr. Taylor watched the exchange with quiet amusement, her smirk growing more evident as she watched Reed wrestle with the unwelcome reality.
"You're making a mistake, Winslow," Reed warned, his voice tight with barely restrained anger. "If something goes wrong, if we find out she gave us a fake antidote—"
Winslow shrugged, straightening his coat. "Then that would be most unfortunate. But I trust you're intelligent enough to realize that the consequences of defying a court-backed agreement would be…substantial."
Sophia placed a hand on Reed's arm, a silent plea for calm. She gave him a meaningful look, and he reluctantly stepped aside, watching as Dr. Taylor swept past them with Winslow in tow, exuding an air of victory that was impossible to ignore. Reed's jaw clenched, frustration radiating off him, but he knew they were cornered.
As the door closed behind them, Reed's fists tightened, and he shot a dark look at the empty doorway. "They're playing us, Sophia. And there's nothing we can do about it."
Once they were gone, the silence was thick, and Reed felt a wave of frustration roll over him.
Together, they wasted no time, practically running out of the precinct and making their way to the hospital, hearts pounding as they rushed through the sterile halls to Alex's room. As they approached, they expected to see him pale and fragile, lying still, barely holding on.
But as they entered the room, they froze in shock.
There, sitting up and appearing remarkably well, was Alex, looking back at them with a faint smile of surprise.
"Hey," he said, his voice calm, as though nothing unusual had happened. "What took you so long?"
Sophia and Reed exchanged stunned glances, caught between disbelief and confusion, as the realization dawned that they might have just played into Dr. Taylor's hands in a far deeper way than they'd imagined.