Long Island, New York
In the town's largest funeral home, Ted sat slumped on the floor, dazed.
In front of him was a gurney with a body covered by a white sheet, revealing only a pale face. A freshly stitched 5-centimeter wound marked the left side of the forehead.
It wasn't just anyone—it was Ted's "perfect" girlfriend, Anna Taylor.
Beside him stood Matthew, his face heavy with grief, and Lily, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Adam's on his way," Lily said to Matthew after hanging up the phone, glancing at Ted.
But Ted didn't react at all.
A tall, middle-aged man who'd been standing silently nearby flickered his gaze. His expressionless face softened instantly into something warm and approachable as he turned to Lily. "Adam Duncan, the doctor?"
"Yeah," Lily replied, wiping her tears as she looked at him. "You know Adam?"
"Mhm," the man nodded. "We've met a few times."
This was Elliot Deacon, someone Adam knew.
"Oh, right," Lily sniffled. "Adam mentioned Monica's family is from around here. Her grandma's funeral was probably held here, wasn't it?"
"Yep," Mr. Deacon confirmed, glancing at her. "Is Dr. Duncan coming over?"
"Of course," Lily said, her worried eyes drifting to Ted, still unresponsive on the floor. "Adam's our good friend. He'd never miss being here at a time like this. It's just a shame no one told him about the car accident last night. With his 'miracle doctor' reputation, if he'd been at the scene, maybe this wouldn't have happened."
"Miracle doctor?" Mr. Deacon's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yeah," Lily choked up again. "Adam's young, but his medical talent is unreal. Right after joining the medical center, he pulled off miracle after miracle. People who were declared dead? He fought for them, brought them back to life.
Sob! Why didn't anyone call him last night?!"
Even a miracle can't help after a whole night's gone by—too late, too cold.
"Such a pity. Sorry, I've got some things to handle. I'll step out for a bit," Mr. Deacon sighed, nodding to the three of them before leaving the morgue.
The second he stepped out, his face changed. The warm, friendly mask dropped, replaced by a blank, emotionless stare.
He hurried up to the attic and opened a cabinet door.
Inside was a wall—a wall covered with a dense collage of photographs.
At first glance, they looked like final portraits of the deceased.
But look closer, and you'd see it: many of their eyes were open.
They say the dead lose the light in their eyes.
But these? These eyes still had it.
"Feeling proud of yourselves?" Mr. Deacon muttered to the photos, talking to himself. "Miracle doctor… Let's see about that."
As he spoke, he started pulling the pictures down, packing them up. Then he began clearing out the room.
Once everything was squared away, he grabbed his bag, carried it downstairs, and tossed it into the passenger seat of his car.
Just then, a sports car screeched to a halt nearby, parking perfectly in the driveway.
Adam stepped out.
"Dr. Duncan," Mr. Deacon greeted, closing the passenger door and walking over with a calm, natural demeanor.
"Mr. Deacon," Adam replied, not surprised at all.
On the drive over, he'd already pieced it together. Anna, Monica's grandma—they all lived in this area, and Deacon's funeral home was the biggest around. It made sense they'd handle burials here.
If nothing unexpected happened, Sheldon's Aunt Beatrice, who'd pass away from illness soon, would likely have her embalming, funeral, and burial all done here too—one-stop shop.
"Where's Ted and the others?" Adam asked.
"This way," Mr. Deacon gestured, leading Adam to the basement morgue.
"Adam!" Lily cried out the moment she saw him, rushing over with tears in her eyes.
Adam sighed, pulling her into a hug and patting her back to comfort her. After a moment, he gently pushed her back, checked on Ted, and gave Matthew a quick "he's fine" look.
Then he approached the gurney, looking down at Anna—taken too soon in a sudden accident.
Her face was ghostly pale.
Adam studied her for a second, something stirring in his mind. He casually reached out to touch her neck while asking, "Where's the death report? Can I see it?"
"It's upstairs. I'll grab it," Mr. Deacon said, glancing at Adam but not moving right away.
Adam pulled his hand back from Anna's neck, stepping subtly in front of Lily and the others, locking eyes with Deacon.
Lily didn't catch on, but Matthew's face shifted—he knew something was up.
Mr. Deacon smiled faintly and turned to leave.
"Kate, get over here with backup now…" Adam immediately dialed Kate, quickly explaining what he'd found.
"I'm on my way! Stay safe!" Kate shouted back before hanging up.
"Adam, what's going on? Why'd you call the cops?"
"Is there something wrong with this mortician?"
Lily and Matthew blurted out, stunned.
"Anna's not dead," Adam said, keeping a wary eye on the door. "She's been injected with an anesthetic—put into a fake death state. From last night until now, there's no way a mortician wouldn't notice. And the needle mark on her neck? It's fresh, just done recently."
"What?!" Lily gasped, practically shrieking.
"Wait—Anna's not dead?" Ted, who'd been zoned out on the floor, finally snapped to life, scrambling to his feet.
"Not dead," Adam confirmed with a nod. "Once the anesthetic wears off, she'll wake up."
"So what do we do now?" Matthew asked. "Wait for the police?"
"He's already gone," Adam said, listening to the sound of a car pulling away. He dashed to the window and caught sight of Mr. Deacon driving off. Their eyes met again as he turned the car—cold, expressionless.
That was his real face.
"Okay, I'll get you guys hospital contacts," Adam said quickly, bolting toward the exit. "Stay here—I'm going after him!"
He hadn't tackled the guy earlier not because he feared some "warrior" vibe. In front of Adam's skills, any "war god" would end up in the doghouse.
No, he was worried about a gun. With Lily and the others nearby, one wrong move could've turned this into a real tragedy.
So he'd let Deacon leave—for now.
But why chase him after letting him go? Simple: Adam had already pissed him off. Knowing this guy was a ruthless, dangerous extremist, he couldn't just let him walk free.
Whether Deacon would retaliate or not, eliminating the threat early was a must!
That's why he'd called Kate. As a high-ranking cop, if Deacon resisted, she could take him down—legally, no questions asked.
All Adam had to do was keep tabs on him, make sure he didn't slip away. With his driving skills and that sports car, Deacon didn't stand a chance.
It was a shame, though, about the good rapport Adam had built with Dr. Montgomery—and Montgomery's hopeless crush.
Talk about bad luck for Montgomery. She'd just decided to ditch the two most important men from her past, thinking she'd found her "one true love" and "soulmate" for the future—only to discover he was a brutal criminal.
"Kate, where are you? He's on the move—I'm tailing him. Got it, I'll keep my distance. Hurry!"
Adam sped along, keeping a safe but steady distance behind Deacon's car.
(End of Chapter)