Chapter 4

Christopher arrived fast, with his professional team and a mountain of equipment I couldn't begin to name.

He wore a white coat and gold-rimmed glasses, refined and handsome, with a steady, composed air.

When he saw the enormous tank in the living room, something dazzled behind his eyes for an instant, then gave way to professional caution.

"Mrs. Delgado."

He held out his hand.

I took it, and felt the dry warmth of his palm.

"Dr. Vance, thank you for coming."

Burton had deliberately taken the day off, hovering at the side with a tense face.

"Doctor, my... my pet, she's had no appetite lately, and she seems low. Please, take a look at her."

His urgency was that of a father worried about his child.

Christopher's gaze moved once between him and me, weighted with meaning.

"Don't worry, Mr. Delgado. First we need to take some water samples and a sample of her... secretions."

Maura was plainly repelled by strangers coming near.

When Christopher's assistant approached with the sampling tools, she thrashed violently in the water, her tail throwing up a huge spray.

"Don't touch me! Get away from me!"

She shrieked, her voice piercing.

Burton rushed over at once to soothe her.

"Maura, don't be afraid. They're doctors. They're here to help you."

Through the glass, he kissed the wall of the tank again and again, trying to calm her.

That lovesick display made even the junior assistant on Christopher's team curl a lip in disgust.

I stood to one side, watching, cold-eyed.

"Burton, move."

My voice wasn't loud, but it carried an authority that left no room to argue.

He turned to look at me, pleading in his eyes.

"Chris, she's scared."

"Then let her stay sick."

My face didn't move.

"Or would you rather draw her blood yourself?"

Burton had no answer for that.

Maura watched us from the water, fear and hatred tangled in her eyes.

In the end, under Burton's "loving" persuasion, she reluctantly submitted to the examination.

Christopher's team was professional. Sampling, testing, analyzing the data, all of it methodical.

An hour later, the preliminary results came back.

Christopher held the report, his brow drawn tight.

He drew me aside on my own.

"Mrs. Delgado, it doesn't look good."

"All her physiological indicators are declining. Especially the skin beneath the scales. There are faint signs of ulceration."

Something stirred in me.

"The cause?"

Christopher pushed his glasses up and lowered his voice.

"My preliminary judgment is a water quality problem."

"Water quality?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"I use the highest-grade equipment and materials there are."

"The equipment isn't the issue."

Christopher said.

"The problem is a trace element in the water."

He looked at me, his gaze sharp.

"This element is harmless to ordinary marine life, but to a... special species like her, it's a slow poison."

"It gradually erodes her immune system. It makes her rot from the inside out."

I listened quietly and said nothing.

"Mrs. Delgado."

Christopher's voice dropped lower still.

"A trace element like this doesn't occur naturally in seawater."

"It has to be added by hand."

The air went still in an instant.

I could feel his probing gaze land on my face.

I lifted my head, met his eyes, and pulled my mouth into a sorrowful curve.

"Is that so?"

"Then that's... truly unfortunate."

My eyes slowly reddened, and a tremor crept into my voice.

"Dr. Vance, I'm begging you, you have to save her."

"She's the most precious thing to my husband."

This near-tears display clearly caught Christopher off guard.

He froze for a moment, and the sharpness in his eyes softened.

"Mrs. Delgado, don't worry. We'll do everything we can."

He paused, then added.

"We'll adjust the balance of elements in the water and stabilize her condition first."

"But as for a true cure, I'm afraid..."

He didn't finish, but I understood him.

A true cure meant finding the person who'd done the "poisoning."

And he'd clearly already made me his first suspect.

Good.

That was exactly what I wanted him to think.

A pitiful woman betrayed by her husband, whose love had turned to hate, striking a deadly blow at the other woman.

This script was riveting enough.

I turned my back and wiped at tears that weren't there with the back of my hand.

"Dr. Vance, I'm counting on you."

"Whatever it costs, cure her."

Behind me, Christopher was silent for a moment, and in the end said only one thing.

"We'll do everything we can."

I turned around, gave him a grateful smile, and walked over to Burton.

He was waiting anxiously right where I'd left him.

"Well? What did the doctor say?"

I repeated Christopher's words back to him, embellishing as I went.

Leaving out, of course, the part about it being "added by hand."

I told him only that Maura was gravely ill, that because she couldn't adapt to the environment here, she could die at any moment.

The color drained from Burton's face in an instant.

He rushed at Christopher and grabbed his arm.

"Doctor! You must have a way, don't you? I'm begging you, save her!"

He was out of control, like a cornered beast.

Christopher pulled his arm back without a flicker of reaction, his tone distant.

"We'll do our best. But you need to understand, Mr. Delgado, any creature removed from its native environment suffers irreversible damage."

"The best thing to do is send her back."

Send her back.

Those three words struck Burton like a thunderclap over his head.

He staggered back a step, muttering to himself.

"No... she can't go back..."

"I only just managed to... I can't send her away..."

I watched him coldly.

Burton, your selfish love is pushing her toward the abyss with your own hands.

And I'm only standing beside you, feeding the fire, gently.