At a coffee shop three blocks away, she called her closest friend, Priya Shah, a civil attorney who had helped Morgan settle her grandmother’s estate.
“Before you say anything,” Morgan began, “I know this sounds absurd.”
“Then start with the part that isn’t absurd.”
“My husband gave me a necklace. Someone warned me not to wear it. I put it in water, and something came out of it.”
Priya went quiet. “Are you safe right now?”
“I’m not home.”
“Good. Don’t handle the necklace again. Don’t pour the water out. Tell me exactly what happened.”
Morgan did. She described the woman on the bus, the green beret, the blue water, the loose capsule, and Julian’s peculiar urgency. Priya didn’t laugh once.
“It’s possible the discoloration is just corrosion,” Priya said. “We can’t decide it’s poison from the color. But the hidden compartment is concerning. You should report what you’ve found and let qualified people handle it.”
