Adam's hunch left Kate chilled to the bone.
And Mr. Deacon's smile? That made her shiver even more.
The officers hauled Deacon away, and Adam drove Kate back, heading toward the medical center to see the one surviving victim.
"Lily, has Anna woken up yet?" Adam asked, handing the phone to Kate to dial while he kept his eyes on the road.
"Not yet," Lily replied, her voice bubbling with relief. "But the anesthesiologist checked her out—she's fine and should wake up soon! How about you? Did you catch him?"
"Don't worry, we got him," Adam said with a grin. "We'll be back soon."
After a quick chat, he hung up.
"Kate, call Chandler for me," Adam said.
"You've got a lot going on, huh?" Kate rolled her eyes.
"Heh," Adam chuckled. "I seem to recall someone liking how busy I keep things~"
"Gross!" Kate spat playfully, but she dialed the number anyway.
"Chandler, where you at? Is Monica with you?" Adam asked.
"I'm at work," Chandler laughed. "Monica's at home, resting up with the baby bump. She's not here. What's up?"
This pregnancy meant the world to Monica. She could've kept working if she wanted—no big deal—but unlike Rachel, who powered through almost to the delivery room (and nearly gave birth at the office), Monica took a different route. After finding out she was pregnant that Thanksgiving, she quit her cushy head chef gig at a fancy restaurant.
She didn't want her baby breathing in all that kitchen smoke and chaos.
Chandler was totally on board. Over the years, he'd made a name for himself in the ad industry he loved—no need to restart from scratch like in some alternate timeline, scraping by and borrowing cash from Joey. Now, his paycheck was solid enough to give Monica and the little one a comfy life, all on his own.
That said, once the baby was born, they both agreed: Monica shouldn't go full-time homemaker. She'd get back to work.
For one, being a chef was a respectable, well-paying job—perfect for giving their kid a good foundation. And two, they'd heard Adam go on about the downsides of stay-at-home life enough times. His stories about his parents' loving partnership really hit home.
"Here's the deal…" Adam's tone turned serious as he filled Chandler in on Mr. Deacon, then warned, "Don't tell Monica about this. She's pregnant—she can't handle the stress. Deacon was her teenage dream guy, and her grandma's funeral went through his place. Keep it under wraps, okay?"
"I knew it!" Chandler yelped. "Every old guy Monica's ever swooned over turns out to be a creep!"
"Enough!" Adam cut him off. "No time for jealousy—that's ancient history! You've got a kid on the way with her now. Your job is to protect them, got it?"
"Got it," Chandler said quickly. "But this is juicy stuff. Every TV station's gonna blast it everywhere—how am I supposed to hide it from her?"
"I've already got it covered," Adam smirked. "First, clue in Rachel and the gang. Especially Joey and Phoebe… Actually, scratch that—they're blabbermouths. You'll just make it worse trying to hush them up. I'll send someone to keep them busy elsewhere.
Monica's parents, relatives, friends—you've gotta drill it into them not to spill. Triple-check it.
TV? Easy fix. I'll have someone 'report' a signal outage for your building—no reception for Monica.
Nearby newsstands? I'll get the papers cleared out so she won't see a thing.
I'm also bringing in a pregnancy expert to hang out with her, keep her focused on baby prep so she doesn't wander around.
After that, I'll tip off some paparazzi to flood the news with spicy celebrity gossip—bury this story fast."
"Adam…" Chandler's voice cracked, touched.
"Don't say a word," Adam laughed. "You guys are my best buds, and that kid in Monica's belly? My godson or goddaughter. This is nothing—just a quick favor."
"This is way more than a 'quick favor,'" Chandler chuckled. "You've already said a mouthful. Thanks, Adam!"
"Just keep an eye on things—that's thanks enough," Adam grinned.
"I will!" Chandler nodded. "Oh, wait—Monica's grandma…"
"Don't worry," Adam reassured him. "It's not like that. His crimes happened outside hospitals. Monica's grandma passed away in the medical center—doctors and nurses triple-checked everything. No mistakes there. Not everyone he handled was a victim, or he'd have been caught ages ago."
"Phew, that's a relief," Chandler exhaled.
Sure, he didn't care about some teenage crush. What did scare him was the thought of Monica's grandma dying unnaturally—cruelly. Monica wouldn't be able to take it.
"You're a little sleazy sometimes, but damn, you're a solid friend," Kate said from the passenger seat after hanging up, genuinely impressed.
To shield a pregnant friend from stress, he'd pulled all these strings. Adam called it "a quick word," but every step was clearly thought out. That kind of care? Worth more than all the resources he'd thrown at it.
"You bet," Adam said smugly. "Chandler, Monica, and I go back eight years. If you and I had eight years of friendship, trust me, I'd do the same for you."
"…" Kate's mouth twitched. "How do you turn every sweet moment into something so crude?"
"There's this wise guy from the East, Zhou Shuren, who said, 'What you see depends on what's in your heart,'" Adam teased. "So, you know~"
Kate just ignored him. She never won these banter battles anyway. She was used to it.
"Kate."
"What?"
"Forget it—serious stuff!"
"…"
"Later, look into the paramedics who handled the call and the patrol doctor who signed off," Adam said, his tone darkening.
"You think they might be in on it?" Kate's face hardened too.
"Yeah," Adam nodded. "Paramedics can mess up—check a pulse, look at pupils, and call a fake death real. Happens all the time.
Patrol docs? They get a report, don't bother checking the scene, and sign the death certificate blind. That's common too.
But hundreds of cases with zero slip-ups? Not one doctor ever showing up to confirm? No one noticing victims drugged into fake deaths?
Something's off.
Funerals aren't cheap—thousands of dollars a pop, easy. Who's to say there's no money changing hands here?"
Kate took a deep breath. "I'll dig into it."
(End of Chapter)