“The toxin that causes it, yes.”
“And…?” his mother said.
“And…I’m so sorry to have to say this. We’ve administered antitoxins, but they’re not having any effect. He’s not awake, and his organs are failing. I’ve told the nurses to let you spend his last hours with him in the ICU.”
His father glared at me, and his mother seemed to look past all of us.
It hadn’t registered yet.
Hell, it hadn’t registered with me yet.
“How…? Where would he…?” I wasn’t sure whether the words came from me or someone else.
Someone had thought out every detail. I clenched my hands into fists.
“He most likely ingested it,” the doctor said.
“From the food at your wedding?” Mr. Murphy glared at me once more.
“No! Of course not. No one else is sick.” That I knew of, anyway.
“Someone drugged and poisoned our son.” From his father. A statement, not a question.
“It appears that way. I’m so sorry. Please, follow me. I’ll take you to him.”
I gulped. “I want to see him.”
“No,” his father said. “You’ve done enough.”
“I assure you my son has done nothing.” When had my father walked over? “He’d like to see his best friend. To say goodbye.”
“No,” Mr. Murphy said again flatly. “Our son’s last moments are for us.”
“Doctor…” I began.
“I’m sorry. It’s his parents’ call.”
“But he’s an adult.”
“And they are his next of kin. I’m sorry.” The doctor led the Murphys out of the waiting room.
“Wait!” My father walked swiftly through the door.
I sat down in the closest chair, my whole body numb.
Murph.
Murph was dying.
Someone had drugged and poisoned him. Heroin. Botulism. My mind raced. The heroin to make sure this happened at the wedding because no one knew when the botulism would kick in. Then the botulism—enough to take down a healthy and robust twenty-two-year-old.
The only person I knew of who might be capable of such a heinous act was locked up and medicated.
Several minutes later, my father returned. “Go ahead back, son. You can see him.”
“How…?”
“Money talks,” he said dryly. “They’re a hundred grand richer.”
“You spent a hundred grand so I could see Murph?”
“Money well spent. Go see him. Tell him goodbye.”
I nodded and walked through the door. The doctor and the Murphys stood outside an ICU room.
“Thank you for letting me do this,” I said.
“Your father made a strong argument,” Mr. Murphy said. “Go in. You have two minutes. The rest of the time is for his mother and me.”
I nodded. How could I argue? I walked into the room. Murph was hooked up to all kinds of beeping machines.
His eyes were closed, his skin pale. An oxygen mask covered his face.
“Hey, Murph,” I said.
I’d begged for this, and now I had no idea what to say.
“I’m so sorry this happened. I’ll find out who did this to you, and they’ll pay. I swear to God, they’ll pay.” I moved to squeeze his hand but held back. An IV line stopped me. “Thank you for being my best man. You’ve been the greatest friend a guy could ask for. I’m going to miss you.”
Crying is for girls.
Words of wisdom from my father. He’d said them for as long as I could remember.
I sniffed back a tear.
I wasn’t going to succumb now. I’d be strong. Not just for Daphne and my unborn kid but now for Murph as well. I’d find out how this happened and take care of whoever was responsible.
I’d avenge my friend.
If it was the last thing I did.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Daphne
Something nudged me.
I jerked upward.
“It’s just me, baby.”
“Brad!” I melted into his arms. “How’s Sean?”
Brad cupped my cheek. “I’m so sorry to have to tell you this. He…didn’t make it.”
What? Confusion muddled my brain. I hadn’t heard him right. That was it. It had to be. “He just had too much to drink. That’s all.”
“Baby, he had a beer. One beer.” Brad kissed the top of my head. “He was drugged. Heroin.”
“But he doesn’t—”
“Do drugs. No, he doesn’t. He was also poisoned. The doctors might have been able to save him if it had only been the drugs, but the poison killed him. His body just shut down.”
This wasn’t happening. Nothing bad had happened at my wedding. This was a dream.
No, a nightmare. A really bad nightmare.
Except that it wasn’t anything like my normal nightmares. I wasn’t running from something that scared me only to wake up and not remember who or what was responsible for my torment.
No, this was real-life torment.
Real life…
“Who would…? Why would…?” I couldn’t grasp the words I wanted.
“I don’t know, baby. But I assure you that I’ll find out. I’m going to put the best PIs in the business on this. I owe that to Murph.”
“Brad, I don’t understand.”
“I don’t either, Daphne.”
“Our wedding…”
“It was beautiful. We have to remember the beautiful parts.”
The beautiful parts? No sooner had we exchanged vows than I had passed out. But that was the least of the problems.