Chapter Five Digging Up Bodies

Elowen agreed to meet in New York.

Frank arranged everything. The location, security and a backup plan in case anything went wrong.

"I'm coming with you."

"That's not necessary."

"It's completely necessary. You're walking into a meeting with someone who might be compromised. Who might be working with Dr. Chen.” He checked his gun. "I'm coming."

"Fine."

The meeting was set for 8 PM. At a restaurant Frank owned. Where he controlled the exits. The cameras. Everything.

"She won't come if she knows this is a setup."

"It's not a setup. It's protection." Frank adjusted his suit.

At 7:55, Elowen walked in.

She looked older, but it was her. Same steady hands, same way of scanning a room before entering.

"Jane. Oh my God. You're really alive."

I stood. She ran towards me and grabbed me, held on like I might disappear again.

"I went to your funeral Jane," she whispered against my shoulder. "I gave the eulogy. How are you?”

"I know. I'm sorry. I had to disappear."

"Why?"

We sat. Frank remained standing. Elowen noticed him.

"Who's he?"

"Frank Costello. He's... helping me."

Elowen’s eyes widened. "Frank Costello?"

"A Mafia boss, yes." 

"Pleasure to meet you, Dr. Meshack."

Elowen looked between us. "What the hell is going on?"

"Please I do need your help. It's about Dr. Chen."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do. You know what he's been doing. The patients. The insurance fraud."

"Jane."

"Magnus Vance is dead. He left a confession. He named Chen. And now Chen's going to come after anyone who might know the truth." I moved closer. "That includes you."

Elowen's hands shook. "I can't do it. If I talk, Chen will kill me."

"Chen won't do anything because he'll be in prison." I reached across the table. "But I need your testimony. I need you to tell the authorities what you saw."

"They'll never believe me. Chen has too much power."

"They'll believe you when we give them evidence, financial records, patient files.I squeezed her hand. Please Elowen, help me stop him."

Elowen stared at her hands. Seconds stretched. Her breathing became shallow then deep.

"What Chen's doing, it's worse than you know."

The room instantly felt colder somehow. " Tell me.”

She looked at Frank, then back to me. When she spoke, she was barely audible. "He's not just collecting insurance money. He's harvesting organs and selling them.”

Every sound died, conversations cut off mid word.

"What?" 

"The patients he kills, he doesn't just kill them. He harvests everything viable. Hearts, lungs, kidneys, liver, corneas." Her hands shook. "I found shipping manifests. Organs transported to 'research facilities' that don't exist. Payments routed through shell companies.”

"Did you report it?"

"I tried. Went to the medical board. They said they'd investigate. Nothing happened because Chen paid them off. Everyone's in his pocket."

"Then we go around them." Frank spoke for the first time. 

"Chen owes someone a lot of money. And the person is getting impatient."

"Who does he owe?"

"The Russo family. Antonio Russo.”

I blinked "Your rivals?"

"My enemies." He brought out a photo of a man I didn't recognize. Older and dangerous looking. "This is Antonio Russo. Head of the Russo family."

"How much does he owe?"

"One million dollars. Debts Chen incurred gambling. Antonio's been collecting interest." Frank pointed in on bank statements. "So Chen's been killing patients. Collecting insurance payouts and splitting them with Antonio."

I stayed glued to my seat "How many?"

"At least fifteen. Over three years."

Fifteen people. Dead because a doctor needed money.

Frank closed the documents. 

Elowen shook her head. "No one will believe it without proof."

"Then we get proof." Frank pulled out his phone. "You still work at the hospital. You have access to Chen's files."

"You want me to steal from him?"

"I want you to copy files that prove he's a murderer. That proves he's been selling organs. And then I want you to testify."

"He'll kill me."

"Not if I protect you. You come with us. And in exchange, you help us bring down Chen and everyone involved."

Elowen looked at me. "Is he serious?"

"Very."

"And you trust him?"

"I do."

She didn’t answer immediately. Outside the window, a car passed, then another still she said nothing. Then "Okay. I'll do it. But I need forty-eight hours to copy the files."

"Forty-eight hours," Frank agreed. "But from this moment on, you're under my protection. Don't do anything that could tip off Chen."

"Understood."

Frank made a call. Arranged for Elowen to be moved to a safehouse that night.

As we were leaving, Elowen pulled me aside.

"Jane. There's something else you should know."

"What?"

"Chen's been asking about you. About whether you're really dead."

My legs wouldn’t move. "When?"

"Last week. He cornered me and asked if I'd ever seen your body. If I was sure you were dead."

"I think he knows, Jane. I think he knows you're alive.”