Page 47 of Prescription for Sin

She perched on the arm of his chair, an old habit that made his chest ache with familiarity.

“The interesting part is what happened after,” she said.

“Go on.”

“Atkins started asking questions about water quality. Two days later, he received a very generous offer to buy his textile business. The buyer?” Her eyes met his. “A subsidiary of London Water Works.”

Everett’s blood ran cold. “You think they’re buying silence?”

“I think it’s worth investigating why a water company needs so many businesses existing only on paper.” She withdrew a folded paper from her pocket. “My solicitor found something odd when reviewing property records. Half the buildings along the new pipeline route changed hands just before construction began. All purchased by different companies, but—”

“All ultimately controlled by London Water Works,” Everett finished. The pattern was becoming clear.

“The timing seems particularly convenient. Almost as if—” She broke off, studying his face. “You know something.”

He hesitated. Trust between them had been fragile. But this was bigger than their personal issues.

“My father’s entire fortune is leveraged against water company shares. If the company fails, everything collapses.” Emma’s eyes widened. “The properties, the investments, my inheritance. The hospital donations. Everything.”

She was silent for a long moment. “That explains why he’s so desperate to stop my research.”

“Emma, I stand to lose everything.”

“We must still do the right thing.” She began pacing, her mind racing. “If the company’s been buying properties along the pipeline route, they must have known the water was contaminated. They’re actively covering up their negligence.”

Everett dropped his head into his hands. The magnitude of his father’s sins was overwhelming, and the price he’d pay as his son may ruin him.

“We need proof,” she said finally. “Not just financial records, but evidence they knew about the contamination. Worker testimony. Internal documents. Something that can’t be dismissed as coincidence.”

“It would destroy my father.” His voice was flat.

“It would save lives.” She stopped pacing to face him. “The question is, are you ready to help me find that proof? Or are you still trying to protect your inheritance?”

He shot up from his chair. “Do not presume you know me or my motives, Emma! In fact, do not presume to know me at all!”

Emma stared in surprise.

His voice came out rough from suppressed emotion. “As much as I admire your passion for justice, my life is dangling on a cliff’s edge. Give me a moment to process this without you cheering on the demise of me and my father!”

The shock and hurt in her eyes constricted his breathing further. A muscle leapt in her throat while her lips pressed in a bloodless line. “I am sorry. How callous of me,” she said, her voice impossibly soft. “I may sound eager, but not for your suffering. It must be difficult, learning your father may have changed into someone you no longer recognise. And your medical practice… I am truly sorry, Everett.”

He looked down at her and forced a smile. “I am devastated and utterly disappointed, but we have a job to do.” He tapped his fingers on the fireplace mantle, trying not to spiral out of control. “There’s a foreman at the Shadwell site,” he said slowly. “I will speak to him.”

Emma’s eyes lit. “I’d like to be involved.”

“Absolutely not. You’ve done more than enough by bringing several people’s attention to this dire circumstance. Leave it to me to do the rest.”

Emma’s expression conveyed distrust.

Looking into her eyes, he spat, “You are not the only one who wants to do what is right. You may refuse to believe me, but I, too, wish to prevent deaths. I took an oath to that effect, damn it! If you could stop being so stubborn and stop charging around like a bull, I would trust you to help me!”

“Me? You don’t trust me?” Emma marched toward him, indignation flushing her face.

“No, I don’t. A toddler might be more discreet than you could ever be, Emma. You have no regard for who sees you and how you’re perceived. How are you so brilliant and yet so foolish?”

“What makes you think I couldn’t be discreet?” She stood with her hands on her hips, ready for battle.

“How else do you think my father learned about you?”