▌Chapter 6 ─ The Plan ▌

━━━━━ IRIS LOOKED AT Marta, shock still resting on her face. "You gave me 100 milligrams of the good stuff?" Harlan asked her, Iris watched as Marta picked herself up and quickly made it over to the medical bag. "Excuse me, what is the good stuff's dosage supposed to be?" Harlan proceeded to ask her.

"Let's not call it that right now, okay?" Marta said looking at the bag that she had pulled out. "Three milligrams." Marta said, Iris looked over at her grandfather seeing how calm he really was which she didn't understand in the least little bit.

"Oh, that's much less. So what happens?" He asked, looking at Marta.

"I'm gonna give you an emergency shot of Naloxone, so you don't die in 10 minutes." Marta said, looking back at Harlan. Soon after her eye briefly landed on Iris who was still in clear shock, and wasn't sure how to handle what was happening.

"He's gonna die?" Iris asked, her voice was quiet and because of that her question wasn't heard.

"Oh, well, no pressure." Iris turned to look back at Harlan, still not sure how he was calm through all of this. He chuckled turning his chair slightly, "you know, this is an interesting and efficient method of murder. I need to write this down." Harlan said, grabbing his book, opening it up and writing everything down.

"So, if someone switched the meds on purpose, I'd be dead in 10 minutes. Like stone-cold dead?" Harlan asked, lifting his head to look up at Marta.

"Yes. You'll feel symptoms in five. Sweats, disorientation, and then... Yes. That big dose injected within 10, your... Your brain... Yes, 10 minutes." Marta said, looking back at Harlan. He closed the book, looking at her. Iris could feel the tears running down her face.

"From the moment of injection? It's eight-ish now." Harlan said, leaning back in his chair. Iris watched Marta bring the medical bag over to them, continuing to look for the Naloxone to give to Harlan.

"And even if the victim called for an ambulance when he first felt the symptoms and if he lived in a great big country house like we do the ambulance would take at least 15 minutes to arrive and it'd be too late." Harlan paused while Marta moved the back over to the floor dumping everything out of it. "If the victim didn't have the emergency Naxostuff. Marta?" Harlan questioned her.

She was crying but still searching, Iris knew that it wasn't there but it didn't make any sense. Marta always made sure that everything was in the medical bag, so why hadn't the Naloxone been in the bag.

"Do you have the Naxostuff?" Harlan proceeded to ask her, he briefly looked at his granddaughter seeing the tears that were evident on her face.

"Yes, I'm gonna find it. I have it because it comes with the kit, so it should be here. It has to be here. It's like..." She stopped talking, but she was still crying and breathing heavily.

Marta lifted her head up, she looked over at Iris who was silently crying. Then she looked over at Harlan who was still staring at her.

"It's not here, Harlan. I don't know why it's not here. So, I'm gonna use the phone, okay? To call an ambulance." Marta said, picking herself up and walking over to the phone.

Iris stared at her grandfather, Marta picked up the phone and pressed the numbers. She held the phone up to her ear, Iris watched her grandfather turn around and press down on the button disconnecting the line. Marta looked down at his hand, then her eyes landed on Harlan as she slowly pulled the phone away from her face.

"What are you doing?" She asked him. "What are you doing?" She proceeded to ask him once again.

"Marta, listen to me." Harlan said, lifting his hand up.

"Harlan, I need to call the ambulance." Marta announced, Iris seemed to know what her grandfather wanted to do but she didn't want to accept his decision.

"Stop this! Stop this, Marta!" Harlan said, reaching for the phone.

"They need to get here!"

"You have to... You have to listen."

"I'm calling the family!"

She let go of the phone and went to run towards the door, however Harlan turned his chair slightly, holding his foot out and tripping Marta causing her to fall to the ground. Iris picked herself up looking down at Marta, soon moving next to her as she turned to look back at Harlan who stood up.

"What are you doing? Are you nuts?" Marta asked him. Iris helped her off the ground, while Harlan walked over to the two of them.

"Don't make a noise." Harlan said, looking at them.

"Harlan, we have to call the ambulance." Marta said, staring back at Harlan.

"She's right, we can't let you die." Iris said, wiping the tears from her face.

"Marta, Iris, listen to me!" Harlan said, causing Iris to stop talking.

"We don't have time!" Marta told him.

"Listen to me!" Harlan said, placing his hand over Marta's mouth. "Now, if what you said is true, I'm gone. There's no saving me. We have six minutes." Harlan informed the two. "We have got to get you out of this! Think of your mom." Harlan said, staring at Marta.

"My mom?" Marta questioned, clearly confused by his words. A sudden knock on the door caused the three to look back at it.

"Marta, Iris, get behind me, get behind me! Don't make a noise." Harlan said, pushing them behind him. Marta looked over at Iris soon grabbing a hold of her hand while Harlan walked over to his door as the knocking continued.

"Harlan?" Joni questioned through the other side. Iris looked over at Marta watching her lift her free hand to her mouth. "Marta? Iris? Everything all right?" Joni proceeded to ask. Harlan opened the door standing slightly behind it.

"Oh, hi, Joni." Harlan spoke looking at her.

"I thought I... Hi. I thought I heard something. Is everything okay?" Joni asked him.

"No, no. We're fine. We're fine." Harlan replied.

Iris gripped Marta's hand tightly as a few more tears fell down her face. "Well, I just knocked over this Go board. Sorry about that." Harlan informed her, Iris still didn't know how this had even happened, she knew that Marta always had everything in the bag. It just didn't make any sense to her.

"Everyone's all right?" Joni asked him.

"Yeah, fine. Go to bed, Joni." Harlan told her.

However, Joni continued to talk to Harlan, Iris couldn't listen to her conversation with Harlan, she was worried about Marta. Soon after Joni turned away and Harlan closed the door he turned back towards the two walking over to them. He stepped over the Go pieces as well as various things from the medical bag, he made it over to Marta and Iris who disconnected hands and turned back around.

"Come on. Pay attention." Harlan said sitting Marta down, Iris soon followed behind them also sitting down next to her, her eyes on her grandfather. Harlan had his focus on Marta who was clearly still crying. "Your mom is still undocumented. And if this is your fault, she'll be found out and at best deported and your family will be broken. We're not gonna let that happen, are we, huh?" Harlan asked her. "But you have to do exactly what I tell you. Iris has to do this too."

"Will you do this, Marta? Iris? Hmm?" He asked the two looking between them. "The last thing for me? For your family?" Harlan proceeded to ask the two but directed the question more towards Marta then Iris. Marta looked over at Iris who nodded her head, she then looked back at Harlan.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked him.

"Go downstairs as noisily as you can, and then say goodbye loudly. Iris you walk Marta out and say goodbye to her, watch her get into her car and leave. After that you say goodnight and head back to your room. Call attention to the time... If you can." Harlan said.

"Drive out the gate. Then to avoid the security cameras, pull off the road before the carved elephant. After the carved elephant. Beafterfore the carved elephant. Park, and come back on foot up to the house. Take the side yard pass through the little gate. The dogs will know you, they shouldn't bark. You've got to get up to the third floor without being seen. And the only way is to climb the side trellis and come in through the trick hall window." Harlan explained, Iris took in all the words. She knew that this would somehow work.

"You gotta be kidding me." Marta said, still staring at Harlan as he explained the plan.

"I am not. Do it. And for God's sake, don't make any noise! Once you're inside, now this is the tricky part..." Harlan told her.

"This is the tricky part?" She questioned him.

"Get my robe and cap from my bedroom and put them on." He told her.

"Harlan... This is crazy. I don't think I can do that." She replied.

"No, we need to make this so airtight that the average cop will entirely dismiss you as a suspect. It sounds crazy, but it'll work. Walt is smoking outside, and he'll see you through the glazed window. You were seen leaving. The security cameras show you driving off. And 20 minutes later, I'm seen alive and well by my son." Harlan explained to the two.

He chuckled looking between the two, his eyes however fell back onto Marta. "You see, you've gone from suspect number one to an impossibility. Leave the way you came and don't be seen. Drive home. And sometime in the next few days the police will question the both of you." Harlan finished explaining.

"No. No, no, no. No!" Marta said, picking herself up from the chair. She briefly turned away from Harlan but soon turned back to face him. "I can't lie! You know I can't lie! I'll puke!" Marta reminded him.

"Well, then don't lie. Tell fragments of the truth. In this exact order." Harlan told her. Iris briefly closed her eyes not wanting any of this to be true.