Chapter 43 Summary

Officer Kate Williams stood outside the police lab, waiting anxiously for the test results on the mysterious note she had found in Steven Schroeder’s apartment. The technician finally delivered his report—there were no foreign chemicals on the paper, and the only fingerprints found belonged to Kate herself. Disturbed by the implications, she made a photocopy of the note, logged the original into evidence, and left the station determined to speak with Steven directly.

At the hospital, Kate entered Steven’s room, where he was speaking with Tony. After a brief exchange, she explained the situation and showed Steven the copied note. Realizing his injuries made it difficult for him to hold it, she read the message aloud: “The living delivers a warning; the dead will reveal the consequences of a warning ignored.” The words triggered a violent reaction in Steven—he began shaking uncontrollably, screaming, and thrashing in panic. Tony tried to calm him as Kate rushed out to find a nurse. Moments later, a sedative was administered through Steven’s IV, gradually easing his distress.

Kate apologized for provoking the episode, while the nurse noted that such a reaction likely stemmed from severe trauma tied to the incident that had hospitalized him. Tony then asked to read the message himself. After hesitating, Kate allowed him to look at the copy. Reading the line, Tony’s expression darkened. He asked to speak privately with Kate in the hallway, where he offered his interpretation: someone still alive had issued a warning, and those who ignored it would die. If Steven’s attack had been that warning, Tony might now be the intended victim.

Kate listened carefully and agreed that the possibility couldn’t be dismissed. She promised to bring the matter to her supervisor, noting her concern that the attackers might also know where Tony and his team lived. Tony explained that only he and Steven were public-facing members of their company, which targeted environmentally harmful corporations, giving potential enemies a motive. Kate urged him to take the threat seriously, warning that ignoring it could prove fatal.

The chapter closes with Kate leaving the hospital deep in thought, realizing this was no ordinary assault. The cryptic message hinted at a larger, calculated scheme, and both she and Tony now faced the unsettling truth that the next move might come without warning.