(GRIFFIN)
Two days later, I'm back outside GenTherapeutics, watching the entrance. A message from Erik waits on my phone for a reply, the investigation has been reopened, discreetly. He has found inconsistencies already. The palace surveillance footage from that night is missing. The guard who should have been stationed near the cottages claims he was reassigned at the last minute.
But none of that matters if Maya continues on this path. The alcohol, the aloneness, the carelessness with her own safety, she's killing herself, and I don't know how to stop her.
The building's doors open, and she emerges. But instead of turning onto her usual path home, she walks directly toward me.
For a moment, I think I've been caught, that she has somehow sensed me watching her. But there's no surprise in her expression as she approaches, just weary resignation.
"How long have you been following me?" she asks without preamble.
"Since the day we spoke," I admit, seeing no point in lying.
