The Maple Murders

Chapter 4 - Puppet on a string.

Ash paused her writing and lifted her head. "Do you care about Rosa or not?" she asked bluntly.

Emma hesitated briefly before responding. "Of course, I love her," she said softly, but Ash quickly interrupted. "Do you want her to get hurt?"

Emma fell silent, her resolve temporarily shattered as she realized that Ash was right. "No..." the brunette mumbled, "But..."

Ash shook her head, adamant in her position. "Then prove it. Don't be a fool. Save her from getting her heart broken."

Emma sat silently, processing Ash's words and realizing that this really might be her only option.

"Surely there has to be a better way..."

Ash promptly shut down Emma's hopeful thoughts. "There is no better way," she said, her voice overflowing with determination. "You need to be strong for yourself, for Rosa. This is the only way to protect her."

Emma's heart raced as the harsh reality sunk in. While the idea of killing Daniel sounded extreme, it would protect Rosa. The older woman's words continued to echo in her mind. This really was the only way to ensure her safety.

But it was wrong.

So, so wrong.

And she knew that. But...

There is no greater crime than failing to protect the ones you love.

"Okay. I'll do it," Emma said with a heavy sigh, finally giving into the woman. Ash's face cracked into a small smile, and she let out a quiet mumble of approval. "Good girl," she whispered before returning into her notebook.

"This is the plan," Ash said at last, her voice firm and decisive as she outlined a step-by-step plan. It included the steps needed to gain access to the cyanide, Daniel's daily routine, and how the cyanide would mask its taste in the coffee, among other details.

"Cyanide? Why the hell would the hospital have cyanide?" Emma interrupted, curious about the reason for its presence.

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Don't interrupt me. There was a rat invasion a few weeks ago, so they used it to get rid of them. They kept the spare bottles in case it ever happened again."

"So, you're going to poison him...?" Emma asked, her voice still full of shock at the thought.

Ash's reply came swiftly, without the slightest hesitation. "We're going to poison him," she corrected.

"But won't someone notice that the cyanide was taken?" Emma pressed.

Ash looked up again, her voice low and raspy with a villainous smirk on her face. "There's no crime so perfect that it won't leave a clue behind." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Current events

The robotic voice announced, "Floor 0: Laboratory." Ash hid behind the cold, white tiled wall and peaked through the window into the laboratory. She expected to see approximately 3 to 4 medical technologists working, but to her surprise, only one person was present, facing the wall and clearly engaged in work. The staff shortage made it difficult to keep the ideal number of staff present, but it made for a perfect opportunity for Ash to sneak into the laboratory and retrieve the cyanide.

She headed for one of the many storage rooms spread out throughout the hospital and searched for the one that belonged to the laboratory. Inside, it had tall shelves lined with all sorts of books, tools, and chemicals, all cluttered together – one wrong move would cause something to fall. But she didn't have time to get distracted; she was on a mission to find the cyanide, take it, and leave.