The engine of Linsy’s sedan purred to a stop, a quiet sigh in the tense silence of the hospital parking lot. She watched, her face an unreadable mask, as Violet Bento emerged from a sleek black town car, clutching a thermal lunch bag like a sacred relic. Violet’s path to the hospital doors deliberately intersected with Linsy’s parked car.

Violet leaned down, her smile a cold, sharp thing in the dim light. “Decided not to go in?” she purred, her voice dripping with false sympathy. ...