THE LAST CALL

Episode 3 — The Man Who Disappeared

The photograph trembled between Amara's fingers.

Her father was smiling.

It was an old photograph. Marcus Adeyemi stood outside St. Raphael Medical Center, wearing the same white coat Amara remembered from childhood.

He looked younger.

Happier.

Alive.

She turned the photograph over again.

Six words.

He knew they were coming.

Amara looked at Elias.

"What does this mean?"

Elias didn't answer.

She stepped toward him.

"What happened to Jonathan?"

"I don't know."

"He's gone."

"I can see that."

"Then find him."

Elias's expression hardened.

"This isn't a police investigation."

"Then what is it?"

"A security breach."

"A patient disappeared from a locked ICU room."

"I know."

"And you're standing here acting like you've seen this before."

Elias said nothing.

Amara stared at him.

"You knew this would happen."

"No."

"You knew someone was after him."

"I suspected."

"That's not the same thing."

"It is when you've been living with the consequences for eight years."

The words stopped her.

Eight years.

The same number kept appearing.

Eight years since her father's death.

Eight years since Jonathan's operation.

Eight years since Elias's mysterious phone call.

Eight years since everything in her family changed.

A nurse rushed into the room.

"Doctor!"

Amara turned.

"What happened?"

"The security team is checking the cameras."

"Good."

"They're not working."

Amara frowned.

"What?"

"The cameras in this corridor went offline twelve minutes ago."

Elias looked at her.

Twelve minutes.

The lights had gone out.

Jonathan had disappeared.

Someone had planned this.

Amara felt a cold sensation move through her.

"Who has access to the security system?"

The nurse shook her head.

"I don't know."

Elias stepped into the corridor.

"Call hospital security."

"They're already on their way."

"Then call them again."

His voice left no room for argument.

The nurse hurried away.

Amara followed Elias.

"Elias."

He stopped.

"You need to tell me everything."

"Not here."

"Then where?"

He looked around the corridor.

"Somewhere private."

Ten minutes later, they were inside an unused consultation room.

Elias locked the door.

Amara stood opposite him.

"Start talking."

He folded his arms.

"Your father was investigating the clinical trial."

"I know that."

"No. You know his name appeared in an old article."

"Then tell me what I don't know."

Elias took a breath.

"The trial wasn't supposed to become public."

"Why?"

"Because there were concerns about the way some of the patients were being treated."

Amara's expression changed.

"What kind of concerns?"

"Some patients reported complications that weren't being properly documented."

"By whom?"

"The company conducting the research."

"Jonathan's company."

"Yes."

Amara looked down.

"And my father discovered it."

"Your father suspected something was wrong."

"Suspected?"

"He didn't have enough evidence at first."

"What did he do?"

"He started investigating."

"Alone?"

"Mostly."

"Why didn't he tell the hospital?"

Elias hesitated.

"He didn't trust everyone."

Amara immediately thought of Victoria.

"Was Victoria involved?"

Elias looked at her.

"Why are you asking?"

"I saw her in the photograph."

"She was part of the medical review team."

"Was she helping my father?"

"At first."

Amara's eyes narrowed.

"At first?"

Elias looked away.

"Things changed."

"What changed?"

"The evidence disappeared."

Amara felt her stomach tighten.

"What evidence?"

"Patient records. Research documents. Internal reports."

"Who took them?"

"We never found out."

"We?"

Elias looked at her.

"Yes."

"You were working with my father."

"I was a junior doctor. He asked me to help."

"And then?"

"And then he died."

Silence.

Amara stared at him.

"Tell me about the night he died."

Elias's jaw tightened.

"I can't."

"You keep saying that."

"Because there are things you don't understand."

"Then explain them."

He looked directly at her.

"Your father received a phone call that night."

"From whom?"

"I don't know."

"But you said you called him at 2:17."

"I did."

"Why?"

"Because he asked me to."

"Asked you to call him?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Elias looked at the photograph in her hand.

"He told me if anything happened to him, I was supposed to call a specific number."

Amara stared.

"What number?"

"I never found out who answered."

"Why?"

"Because the call was interrupted."

"By what?"

"A second call."

"From your father?"

"No."

"Then who?"

Elias didn't answer.

Amara stepped closer.

"Who called you?"

"Your father's phone."

She froze.

"That doesn't make sense."

"I know."

"You received a call from my father's phone while you were calling him?"

"Yes."

"Did you answer?"

"I did."

"What happened?"

Elias's expression became distant.

"I heard your father."

Amara's voice softened.

"What did he say?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"I heard breathing."

"Was he alive?"

"I don't know."

"Then how did you know it was him?"

"Because he said my name."

Amara stared at him.

"What else?"

"Then the call ended."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

She looked away.

"Why didn't you tell the police?"

"I did."

"And?"

"They said it couldn't be verified."

"Why?"

"Because the call wasn't recorded."

Amara looked back at him.

"And you believed them?"

"No."

"Then why did you stop?"

Elias was silent.

Finally, he said:

"Because someone sent me a message the next morning."

"What message?"

"Leave it alone."

Amara felt her pulse quicken.

"Who sent it?"

"I don't know."

"Then why did you listen?"

"Because two days later, one of the doctors who had helped your father was found dead."

Amara went still.

Elias immediately corrected himself.

"I shouldn't have told you that."

"Why?"

"Because you're already too involved."

"That happened eight years ago."

"And you're reopening it."

"Because somebody just kidn*pped a patient who knew my father."

Elias had no response.

The hospital security team searched every floor.

Nothing.

No sign of Jonathan.

The police arrived shortly afterward.

Questions filled the corridors.

Who had last seen the patient?

Who had access to the ICU?

Who had entered the room?

Who had authorized his treatment?

Amara answered everything she knew.

Then a detective approached her.

"Dr. Adeyemi?"

"Yes."

"I'm Detective Michael Grant."

She nodded.

"I need to ask you a few questions."

"Okay."

"When did you last see Jonathan Vale?"

"Approximately twenty minutes ago."

"Was he conscious?"

"Briefly."

"What did he say?"

Amara hesitated.

"He mentioned my father."

The detective looked at his notes.

"Your father?"

"Dr. Marcus Adeyemi."

"I know the name."

Amara looked up.

"You do?"

"He was involved in the Vale investigation."

"What investigation?"

The detective closed his notebook.

"I'll need to check the records."

Amara frowned.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Was my father's death investigated?"

The detective paused.

"Officially?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

"What was the conclusion?"

"Complications from surgery."

"That's what I was told."

"And that's what the report says."

"But you don't sound convinced."

Detective Grant looked at her.

"I'm not here to discuss your father's case."

"Why?"

"Because my job tonight is to find a missing patient."

He walked away.

Amara watched him disappear into the corridor.

Daniel approached.

"That went well."

She turned.

"You heard?"

"Some of it."

"What do you know about Detective Grant?"

"Not much."

"Look into him."

Daniel raised an eyebrow.

"You're assigning me detective work now?"

"Please."

He sighed.

"Fine."

Amara looked toward the ICU.

"Something isn't right."

"I know."

At midnight, the hospital finally became quieter.

Jonathan remained missing.

The security cameras were still offline.

The police had found no useful evidence.

Amara sat alone in the residents' lounge.

She opened the photograph again.

Her father.

Victoria.

Jonathan.

Three people connected to the same mystery.

And Elias.

She opened the hospital database.

She searched Jonathan Vale.

His current file appeared.

His previous admission did not.

She searched Marcus Adeyemi.

A list of archived cases appeared.

She found the date.

Eight years earlier.

Then she clicked.

ACCESS DENIED.

Amara frowned.

She tried again.

Same result.

She leaned back.

Then remembered something.

The paper Jonathan had given her.

Ask Elias what happened before the call.

She searched the date.

Eight years ago.

2:17 a.m.

Nothing.

She searched the hospital's internal records for calls around that time.

Nothing.

She searched emergency admissions.

Nothing.

Then she noticed something strange.

There was a missing entry.

The system jumped from 2:11 a.m. to 2:29 a.m.

Eighteen minutes were missing.

Amara stared at the screen.

Someone had deleted them.

She took a screenshot.

Then the computer suddenly went black.

She froze.

A notification appeared.

SESSION TERMINATED.

She tried turning the screen back on.

Nothing.

Then her phone vibrated.

Unknown number.

She answered.

"Hello?"

Silence.

"Who is this?"

Nothing.

Then a voice whispered:

"Stop looking."

The call ended.

Amara stared at her phone.

Her hands were shaking.

She immediately stood.

She wasn't going to tell Elias.

She wasn't going to tell Daniel.

She was going to find the answer herself.

The following morning, Amara arrived at the hospital early.

She found Daniel near the cafeteria.

"You look terrible," he said.

"I didn't sleep."

"Clearly."

"Did you find anything?"

Daniel lowered his voice.

"About Detective Grant?"

"Yes."

"He was involved in your father's case."

Amara stopped.

"What?"

"Not as the lead investigator. He was a junior detective back then."

"How old was he?"

"Probably early twenties."

"Why would he be involved?"

"I don't know."

"Anything else?"

Daniel looked around.

"He requested access to your father's old file last night."

Amara's eyes widened.

"When?"

"Shortly after Jonathan disappeared."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

She thought for a moment.

"Daniel."

"Yeah?"

"Can you get me the old case number?"

He hesitated.

"Amara..."

"Please."

He sighed.

"I'll try."

At 9:30 a.m., Elias entered the ICU.

Jonathan's room remained empty.

He stood beside the bed.