“They weren’t sick…” Jonathan whispered in horror.
“She was drugging them.”
To keep them weak.
To keep her job secure.
And he had just fired the only person who knew the truth.
Moments later the house erupted with alarms.
Upstairs, Ethan was convulsing in bed.
Lucas was struggling to breathe.
Diane stood nearby pretending to panic.
“I think that woman poisoned them before leaving!” she cried.
Jonathan didn’t waste a second arguing.
He ran outside into the storm.
A mile down the road he found Maria walking in the rain.
He slammed the brakes in front of her.
“I didn’t steal anything!” she shouted, raising the yellow glove.
“Get in the car!” Jonathan yelled desperately.
“You were right. They’re dying!”
Maria didn’t hesitate.
Inside the car she explained what she had overheard weeks earlier.
“Succinylcholine,” she said. “A muscle relaxant. It paralyzes the lungs.”
“They’re suffocating,” Jonathan whispered in terror.
They returned to the mansion with the ambulance.
Maria handed the vial to the emergency doctor.
His face turned pale.
“Neuromuscular blocker overdose,” he confirmed.
Within minutes the boys were on ventilators.
Police searched Diane’s purse and found the bottle.