“No,” Dr. Voss said, opening a drawer in her metal case. “Arsenic would have caused severe gastrointestinal distress hours before this stage. This is something else. A synthetic cardiotoxin. Likely a digitalis derivative, concentrated to mimic a natural heart attack.”

“Can you flush it out?” Sofia asked.

“The dosage is lethal,” Dr. Voss said, pulling out a large syringe and three small glass vials of clear liquid. “To counteract it, I have to initiate a rapid chemical detoxification. It is a high-risk procedure.”

She looked up, her gaze shifting between Marcus and Sofia.

“If his heart is too weak, the neutralizing agent will cause cardiac arrest,” she warned. “He could die within seconds of the injection.”

Sofia gasped and covered her mouth.

“Do it,” Marcus said without hesitation. “He is dead anyway if we leave him like this.”

Dr. Voss looked at me. “Nina, I need you to hold his arm steady. If he thrashes, the needle could tear the vein.”

I walked to the side of the bed and took Alexander’s cold, sweaty arm in both of my hands.