Page 31 of For Mercy

"Agents," he said, his voice gravelly."Follow me."

As they trailed after him down the stark hallway, Morgan's unease grew.What would they find?What new horrors awaited them?

Dr.Emerson pushed open the door to the examination room.The harsh lights made Morgan squint as they stepped inside.Her gaze was immediately drawn to the sheet-covered form on the steel table.

"Before we begin," Dr.Emerson said, "I need to warn you.This isn't like anything I've seen before."

Morgan's pulse quickened."What do you mean?"

The doctor's tired eyes met hers."There are...anomalies.Things that don't add up."

"Such as?"Derik prompted.

Dr.Emerson took a deep breath."Well, for starters—"

He was cut off by a loud crash from the hallway.They all whirled around as a young lab tech burst through the door, his face pale.

"Doctor!You need to see this right away!"

Dr.Emerson frowned."What is it, Jenkins?"

The tech thrust a tablet towards him, hands shaking."The toxicology results just came back.And there's something else we found during the examination.You're not going to believe this."

Morgan watched as Dr.Emerson's eyes widened, scanning the information on the screen.His face drained of color.

"My God," he whispered.

Morgan's heart pounded."What?What is it?"

Dr.Emerson looked up, his expression grave."Agents, I'm afraid we have two rather shocking revelations about Ms.Knox's death."

Dr.Emerson's words hung in the air, heavy with implication.Morgan leaned forward, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten as adrenaline surged through her veins.

"Tell us," she urged, her voice low and tense.

The coroner cleared his throat."First, Michelle Knox was poisoned.But not just with any toxin.This was something rare, something I've never encountered before."

Morgan's brow furrowed."What kind of poison are we talking about?"

"A carefully measured dose of a compound that caused a slow, systematic shutdown of her cardiovascular system," Dr.Emerson explained, his clinical tone belying the horror of his words."It didn't kill her instantly.Instead, it...it allowed her to feel every excruciating moment as her body failed her."

Derik inhaled sharply."Jesus Christ."

"So she was conscious?Aware of what was happening to her?"

Dr.Emerson nodded grimly."Based on our findings, yes.Her heart would have weakened gradually, her lungs struggling for air.She likely experienced intense pain and panic in her final minutes alive."

The room fell silent as the full weight of this revelation settled upon them.Morgan's stomach churned, imagining Michelle's terror and suffering.

"The killer," Morgan mused aloud, her voice barely above a whisper, "he didn't need to restrain her.The poison did that for him."

Dr.Emerson's expression tightened."That's...that's not all, Agent Cross.There's a second revelation that's equally disturbing."

Morgan braced herself."Go on."

The coroner reached for a small evidence bag on the nearby tray.Inside was a tiny glass vial, its contents clear and innocuous-looking.

"This was found tucked away in the inner lining of Ms.Knox's blazer," he said, holding it up."It's the antidote."

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