Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 203
The kidnapping of his mother was a case that he insisted on scrutinizing closely, even though the mastermind, Keegan
Tennyson, had already been locked up thanks to his efforts.
Parker motioned for him to take a seat. “Take a look at this interrogation clip first.”
Instead of a live interrogation, what played was Keegan’s testimony. The officer asked, “Was Whitney involved in the kidnapping
of Natalie that night? Please give us a detailed account of the events.”
“My niece Whitney had no part in the old lady’s kidnapping! It was me, trying to rescue her from Ludwik’s clutches, and since
she’s got medical skills, I had my assistant forcibly bring Whitney over when Natalie fell ill. If you don’t believe me, you can check
the drugstores in the towns we passed through. Whitney had me pick up emergency medicine for Natalie!”
“Parker, why are you showing me this interrogation again? Keegan defending Whitney doesn’t mean squat to me. I won’t believe
a word he says!‘
Ludwik stood up disdainfully. “Is that all you got?”
“Be patient,” Parker, somewhat exasperated, turned off the video and pulled out a piece of evidence. “You naturally wouldn’t trust
Keegan’s word, and neither did I at first. But, you know, I did a little digging when I had some downtime and actually found proof
that Whitney did buy emergency
medicine.”
“What?” Ludwik’s voice caught in his throat.
Parker raised an eyebrow. “Propranolol for shock, Nifedipine for seizures – both critical for Natalie’s condition. Tough to get info
from the town’s pharmacies, but I found one that had footage. Caught her on camera, stepping out of the car to make the
purchase.”
The blurry surveillance footage showed it clear as day – the heavily pregnant woman struggling to get out of the car was none
other than Whitney. Her face was a mask of urgency and concern.
Parker handed him the pharmacy receipt. “She paid with a card; it’s all on electronic record.”
“What are you getting at?” Ludwik’s gaze was sharp.

Parker clapped him on the shoulder, leaning in close. “I believe she was indeed trying to save Natalie that night. She wouldn’t
have bought those medicine otherwise. This footage indirectly corroborates Keegan’s claim that he wasn’t lying for Whitney.”
Ludwik’s breath deepened. “What if it’s all an act to throw off the cops? Buying the medicine first, then harming my mother to
have an alibi?”
“Ludwik, I was on the same page as you at first,” Nolan said, his expression complex. “I hated Whitney for what happened to
Natalie. But considering it from an outsider’s perspective, Whitney usually treated Natalie well. They had a decent mother–in–law
and daughter–in–law relationship, seemingly with no motive for the crime. Plus, I heard from Felix today – Whitney’s
acupuncture skills saved Braxton Tarrington’s life, sparing you from a prison sentence. Right?”
Parker threw that in abruptly.
Ludwik was inwardly tumultuous. He had just uncovered this information today, and Felix was already running his mouth.
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He was too close to the situation to see clearly, but Parker, as an observer, squinted thoughtfully. “Felix let slip that Whitney didn’t
mess up the bid and quietly took the heat for Braxton’s life–threatening incident on your behalf. Now, I’m thinking, what if
Whitney was against Keegan’s vendetta from the start?
Perhaps under her uncle’s pressure, she felt compelled to assist in the revenge against you, but her heart, being full of love,
couldn’t bear to follow through. That’s why we have this situation where Keegan’s plotting against you, and she’s secretly saving
you behind the scenes.
If that’s the case, she’s been in a tough spot. Because of this whole Braxton business, I’m beginning to think she never wanted to
hurt you in the first place. So why would she suddenly turn against your mother? Doesn’t that strike you as contradictory?”

Parker had a lot to say in one breath.
Nolan listened and analyzed. “Right. It’s like she was initially out to save Natalie, buying emergency medicine and all. Then why
turn around and harm Natalie, making her a vegetable? Isn’t that contradictory too? So I think there’s something fishy about this
case. Elaine went to save Natalie and ran into Whitney; what exactly happened in between that led to Natalie’s renal failure?”
Parker spread his hands wide in a gesture of uncertainty.
Ludwik’s gaze darkened, his lips pressed tightly. He said, “Elaine claimed Whitney tampered with my mother. Isn’t that video she
recorded solid proof?”
It was Elaine’s video, shot on the spot at the hospital, that had convinced Ludwik of Whitney’s guilt, fueling his rage.
Parker,
“Where?”
Shook his head with a smile. “Speaking of which, I’ve got a place to show you.”
In the dead of night, Elaine received a call from Jaxon. “Elaine, there’s trouble.”
“What’s happened?” Elaine’s expression shifted.
“I’ve been snooping, and Parker’s been shadowing the police investigation into the kidnapping case. He’s been door–to–door
and found a pharmacy. I immediately had someone inquire at the pharmacy
–

Parker retrieved footage of Whitney buying emergency medicine for Natalie and got hold of the
prescription. He’s probably shown all this to Mr. Lippert by now.”
Elaine’s eyes narrowed. “Did Parker call Ludwik to the station to discuss this?”
“Yes, I couldn’t get in, only managed to get bits from the junior officers,”
Damn it.
Parker had unearthed the fact that Whitney bought emergency medicine for the old lady. Once he mentioned this to Ludwik, what
would he think? Would he believe Whitney was trying to save his mother and then forgive her? And since she had claimed to
have seen Whitney harming the old lady, would her own testimony hold no weight with Ludwik anymore?
“Elaine... there’s something else I didn’t get to tell you. I overheard at noon that Mr. Lippert has discovered Whitney saved
Braxton that night.”
“What? Why didn’t you say so sooner?” Elaine growled softly.
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This is bad. Now that Ludwik kept finding out about the good things Whitney did for him, not intending to harm him.
Would Ludwik’s hatred soften? If those two reconciled, wouldn’t her grand scheme fall apart?
She couldn’t let that wretch Whitney have any chance.
Elaine squinted, her thoughts drifting to Bryce that evening.
Suddenly, she let out a cold, mocking laugh. “Whitney rushed to the hotel to save Bryce and got trapped that night, right? I told
you to find me the footage, the photos, and you’ve come up empty?”
“Well...”
“Keep looking,” Elaine ordered sharply. “Someone’s setting Bryce up, they must have recorded it secretly. If Ludwik ever finds
out about Whitney’s indiscretion with Bryce, he’ll never forgive her for
the rest of his life!”

That would suitably extinguish the firestorm Parker had inadvertently sparked.
Elaine was desperate. She hadn’t expected Parker to throw a wrench into her perfectly orchestrated plan concerning the old
lady’s abduction case, which had seemed so seamless, so conclusive.
Now, if Ludwik grew suspicious...
Thinking of Whitney downstairs, Elaine’s hatred intensified, and she instructed Lyra with venom in her voice, “Go and quietly lock
that wretch’s door. No food, no water. Take the blankets away from the room, let her freeze.”
Inside the private room of the bar, Parker had gone out of his way to bring in an old professor from a famous medical institute,
leaving Ludwik puzzled.
It wasn’t until Nolan presented the video Elaine had taken of Whitney ‘harming Natalie‘ that things started to click. He handed it
over to the old professor.
“Take a good look at this, please,” Parker said. “This girl in the video, is she using acupuncture to harm this elderly woman, or is
she trying to heal her?”
Ludwik’s gaze hardened, a flicker of nervous anticipation as he turned to watch the old professor’s
reaction.