Contents
30. Harrison
Overview
Harrison chafes at Olivia Bird and Sgt. Carter searching his home and tries to appear cooperative as they seize Eden’s hairbrush. He reveals he runs Thanatos and previously monitored Bird’s illicit clinic visit, deleting her records. Determined to close a major sale, he prioritizes Thanatos over Eden’s disappearance.
Summary
Harrison waits tensely as DCI Olivia Bird and Sgt. Carter search his house without a warrant. He worries about seeming suspicious but is more irritated by the intrusion and the time it steals from his work.
When the detectives reappear in the library, Bird bags Eden’s hairbrush, and Harrison forces calm cooperation, aware it will likely be used for DNA. He senses Carter’s suspicion and reads Bird as guarded.
Harrison’s focus shifts to Thanatos, his death-prediction company on the verge of a lucrative sale and expansion. He resolves not to let Eden’s disappearance derail the deal.
He recognizes Olivia Bird as a past clinical trial interloper who used her grandmother’s invitation. He explains Thanatos barred law enforcement, employs actors as “doctors,” and monitored Bird from her first click, even listening via her laptop per the terms she accepted. Harrison personally oversaw her case and deleted her records after she left.
As the detectives depart, Harrison concludes that everyone returns to their origins and reiterates his belief that people are born with an unseen expiration date, underscoring his allegiance to Thanatos over personal entanglements.
Who Appears
- HarrisonNarrator; uneasy about police search, hides priorities; reveals Thanatos operations, prior surveillance of Olivia Bird, and focus on sealing a major sale.
- DCI Olivia Bird (Birdy)Leads the search, bags Eden’s hairbrush; previously infiltrated Thanatos clinic using her grandmother’s invite, unknowingly surveilled.
- Sgt. CarterSilent, suspicious presence during the search; perceived by Harrison as suspecting him.
- EdenAbsent wife whose hairbrush is seized for likely DNA; her disappearance drives the investigation.
- ThanatosHarrison’s death-prediction company; expanding commercially, used actors as staff, secretly monitored Bird.