Joy, worried about upsetting Eleanor, quickly changed the subject. But Eleanor remained calm; these days, nothing seemed to faze her anymore.


    After dinner, Joy drove Eleanor home. On the way, she tried to reassure her. "Ellie, don''t let any of this get to you, okay?"


    "I won''t." Eleanor offered a faint smile.


    Joy nced over at her, a little puzzled. "Ellie, you''ve changed, you know that? It''s like nothing bothers you now, like nothing matters anymore. Just four months ago, you called me sobbing-"


    Of course Eleanor remembered. That night, she''d cried her heart out over the phone, telling Joy how much she loved him, how she couldn''t let go.


    "People change," Eleanor said softly, exhaling a quiet sigh.


    Joy''s heart ached for her friend. After hearing what Thalia had told her, she was more convinced than ever thatn and Eleanor were doomed from the start.


    Vanessa had beenn''s first love. Marrying Eleanor had always just been his way of repaying a debt.


    The next morning, Eleanor checked her email. Joel had forwarded several articles about the Marlowe Vige incident.


    The hospital and government agencies were putting pressure on theb, urging them to form a task force and get to the bottom of things as soon as possible.


    Eleanor stepped into Joel''s office to discuss the new cases. Faye''s assistant approached, saying, "Dr. Kingsley, Ms. Yeaton''s team has a lead. She''d like you toe over."


    As she spoke, the assistant nced pointedly at Eleanor, making it clear she wasn''t invited.


    Eleanor got the message. "Joel, I''ll head back to theb," she said.


    She returned to her workspace, picked up a tray of fresh samples, and settled in at the microscope. Immersed in her work, she spent the morning analyzing slides. By around eleven, she''d isted methylmercurymonly known as mercury- from multiple samples.


    Running more tests, Eleanor eventually arrived at a conclusion: the wastewater had contaminated the entire reservoir. The fish there were living in mercuryden water, and since the people of Marlowe Vige had been eating those fish for years, it was no surprise the same symptoms were cropping up across themunity.


    At lunch, Eleanor sat with Joel in the cafeteria and shared her findings.


    "With someone like you on my team, I almost feel unworthy to be in charge," Joel joked.


    "Joel, I think we should wait until we''ve gathered the full chain of evidence before making this public," Eleanor said.


    "Absolutely. No need to tip anyone off. Once we have everything, we''ll present it in court-and make sure the vigers get thepensation and reforms they deserve," Joel agreed.


    At two, the team gathered in the conference room, working and discussing research ns as they went.<fn09b2> Chapters first released on find?novel</fn09b2>


    Suddenly, Faye''s assistant, Sylvia, poked her head in. "Faye, someone''s here to see you!"


    Out in the hallway, a tall figure approached the unmistakable silhouette of Vanessa. Eleanor looked up, and their eyes met.


    Vanessa paused in surprise. What was Eleanor doing in theb team?


    Faye stood and turned to Joel. "Joel, I''ll be right back."


    He nodded, but just then his phone rang. He picked up. "Hello? Mr. Goodwin."


    "Dr. Kingsley, do you have a moment? I''d like to talk," camen''s low voice. "I''m right outside your office."


    "I''ll be there in a second." Joel hung up and nced at Eleanor. "I need to head back to my office."


    Eleanor nodded, although she hadn''t expectedn-and Vanessa-to show up. What were they doing here?