Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 310

A few wet wipes later, Amber Bell looked like a completely professional woman who had not just committed either first or second-degree murder. She would leave looking precisely as she had arrived. Phillip Castor could not say the same. His flailing, desperate movements were finally coming to a rest, and any attempts at breathing were barely audible; the light was fading from his eyes.

Amber had just started gathering the paperwork when the door to the visitor's center opened, and a guard came in, looking different than the one who had escorted her here. It was the man she'd been coordinating with. He was in his mid-to-late thirties with a receding hairline and the beginnings of a paunch from enjoying beer a little too much. He was paper-white and looked like he was about to show her what he'd eaten for lunch as he stared at the soon-to-be remains of his charge.

"Ah," Amber said. "Good timing. I think we're done here." She glanced up at a camera hanging in the corner. "I trust that's taken care of?"

The officer was too busy staring at the mess lying mere feet away from him with a pool of blood slowly inching its way toward him to answer her.

"Mr. Estes?" Amber asked, finishing packing up as she stared at him.

He finally tore his gaze from the body. "What?"

"The cameras?"

"Oh. Yeah. He's out cold."

"And the recordings?"

"There won't be any footage of you," he said. "It's all been erased." He looked back down at the body again in concern.

"Ah… very good," Amber said with a curt nod, turning her attention to packing without appearing to be in any hurry. Despite the blood on the clothes and papers, she packed them, preferring not to leave them behind. Security rarely did a check on visitors leaving the building, and Jarden's was a joke by comparison. Checking her bags on the way out would be an unlikely anomaly, but leaving them here was not an option. She could dispose of the evidence once she was out of the city. Once done, she pulled out another wet wipe and ran it over the table's surface and her chair.

"The kid in the surveillance room's probably going to lose his job," the officer said, mesmerized by the lifeless body. "I definitely will. I'll probably be charged with something, too."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that, Mr. Estes," Amber said, picking her bag off the table and turning to him as she adjusted her glasses. "You'll receive the other half of your payment by midnight tonight. If you're prosecuted, we will make sure you're well represented. You won't have to enjoy your earnings from a jail cell. What's the young officer's name?"

Carl Purfroy," the officer said.

"Don't worry about him. We'll make sure he's well compensated as well. The well-fed have little to complain about."

Estes nodded and looked back down at the body.

"Mr. Estes?" Amber said.

"Huh?"

"I will need you to escort me to the lobby. Once I'm safely out the door, go to the surveillance room and remove any remaining evidence of tampering. Once you're satisfied, call for backup and report Mr. Purfroy's unconscious state. After that, follow all procedures as normal. Call the number I gave you at our first meeting if you run into any legal trouble. Do you understand?"

Estes nodded, making a concerted effort to not look at the dead body.

"Very good," Amber said. "Now, please lead the way."

The officer backed toward the door, still watching the body. "Can I ask why you killed him?"

Amber approached the body and swiped at the pen sticking out of the corpse's neck, removing any possibility of fingerprints. Slipping the wipe back in her bag, she straightened and said, "No. Just know that my employer looks after those who assist him. I promise… none of this will permanently affect your life, and any inconvenience will be well-compensated. Now, if you would kindly lead the way."

Estes finally opened the door, let Amber Bell walk through, and followed her out. The door closed behind him, and the lock clicked in place.

The corpse of Phillip Castor continued to bleed as the minutes ticked by.

THE END OF BOOK I [Season 1]

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