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Chapter 14

Maxwell clenched his teeth and stared at the body of Jackie Blair. She had been found in the utility room by one of the cleaning staff. An entire wing of the Sands Foundation had been cleared. There were no visible marks anywhere on her – not a bullet hole, knife wound or even a bruise. Nor was there a hint of pain on her face. From the outside it appeared as though she had simply stopped living. In all his years he had never seen such a thing.

"Sir?"

Maxwell turned to see a young Asian Security Officer approaching. "Yes Benson?"

"Richard Sobel is definitely missing. Fire alarm was activated in his Transfer room, both guards were injured. One knocked out, the other wounded with a pair of hair clippers."

This wasn't something Maxwell wanted to hear. The instant he saw Jackie's body his gut told him what Benson just confirmed. He hoped it was wrong, that way there wouldn't be a need for a manhunt.

But his gut was right. Not only had Sobel's patient been murdered, his Porter had been killed and he was gone. It didn't get more cut and dry. Finding the man meant finding answers.

He cursed himself for not being more thorough when they had him captive. Even if the situation was extraordinary it was still a sloppy mistake. Instead of relying on the guards to move him when the alarm went off he should have done it himself.

"Any Vid of him leaving?"

Benson shook his head. "The cameras only run during a Transfer."

"That's just fucking great. Why didn't anyone tell us that?"

"Got me."

"Considering the circumstances, couldn't these idiots have turned them on?"

"Apparently not."

"This is ridiculous."

"We do have Vid from the hallway," Benson offered. "It appears to be Sobel trying to escape. Body size matches. It's from the back and his head is shaved, which explains the hair I found in his room."

"Just him?"

"It looks like someone lent a hand at one of the emergency doors. Hard to tell who – the person had a robe on with a hood up. Could be Blair, but you never know. If it was, why come back here after leaving the building? And why would he kill her after she helped him?"

"Get Chandler down here. No one else."

Benson nodded.

Minutes later Malcolm Chandler appeared. He was a small, trim man with an air of conceit. This behavior made him something of a contradiction among the staff. His narcissism mixed with his genius left them at odds. No one knew whether to laugh behind his back or marvel at his accomplishments.

Chandler had been the one to promote HICOP technology outside of a Hospital. He was the pitch man, basking in the limelight while a reclusive Peter Sands worked in the background. These roles were by choice and deepened as time progressed. Chandler propelled the procedure into the mainstream while Sands ensured its reliability.

As popularity surged, guidelines were put in place and The Sands Foundation was formed. Chandler became Director. Success and clout inflated his ego. Many believed he wielded more power than the President of World One Council – the organization that oversaw global politics.

Those who knew him well weren't surprised by his success. He was a great PR man with a gift for selling. They also knew he had little concept of likeability or weakness.

Maxwell watched him approach and thought of someone walking to his doom. Chandler's usual entourage of ass kissers and yes men were nowhere to be seen. It was a surprise such a stubborn person had actually listened to an instruction.