The voices were the first thing Mara heard.
Those low and careful kind of tone people use when they don't want to wake someone up or when they are not sure they person they're talking about can hear them.
Mara kept her eyes closed and listened.
"...traces confirmed in the cup." That was the doctor. "The compound is low-grade. Designed to disorient rather than kill outright, but in higher concentrations or with repeated exposure…"
"How did it get in." Nico said flatly. It didn't even sound like a question.
"The tray was prepared in the kitchen as normal. My best assessment is that it was introduced somewhere between preparation and delivery."
"So between the kitchen and her room."
"Yes."
There was a pause. Then Mara heard Nico move. She could tell by the sound of his shoes on the study floor, a sound she had learned to identify without even looking.
"The test," he said.
