Ruinous Love Trilogy, #2
Leather & Lark
by Brynne Weaver
Contents
Chapter Twenty-Two: Wanderer
Overview
The Phantom infiltrates Ethel’s hospital room, posing as staff, and murders her via IV sedation and saline, framing it as a divine mission. He reflects on avenging his brother and on tracking the Butcher and the Spider, claiming to have uncovered a real name, Rowan Kane. Ethel dies defiant, warning him off Lark, which the Phantom welcomes, escalating the threat against Lark and Lachlan.
Summary
Two weeks after killing Stan Tremblay, the Phantom enters a hospital room under a stolen ID, watching a frail Ethel awaken. He presents himself as “Steve,” and Ethel meets him with sharp, mocking defiance, refusing to be cowed or to summon help.
The Phantom frames the murder as delivering Ethel to God. He pauses her IV medication, administers a saline flush, then a heavy lorazepam dose, and prepares a final flush. Ethel needles him with irreverent regrets and sexual jokes to derail his ritual, but he persists, reciting prayers as he proceeds.
Between injections, the Phantom reflects on his calling: avenging his brother Harvey and waging a crusade against the corrupt. He recalls arriving where the Butcher and the Spider stayed, leveraging a fake badge to follow leads from a fake name to what he claims is a real one: Rowan Kane.
As the drugs take hold, Ethel remains unafraid and sardonic. The Phantom pockets her bloodied handkerchief as his only token, resumes the IV pump, and sings a hymn to usher her passing.
With her final breaths, Ethel warns him that if he touches Lark, Lark will kill him. The Phantom smiles, hoping for that very confrontation, and watches Ethel die, escalating his pursuit toward Lark.
Who Appears
- The PhantomReligious zealot and killer; infiltrates the hospital as “Steve” and murders Ethel via IV, vowing to confront Lark.
- EthelWitty, terminally ill elder; meets the Phantom’s intrusion with defiance before he kills her, warning him about Lark.