Chapter 10 - The Horizon of Justice
The heavy double doors of the hospital service elevator slid shut, sealing Rebecca, Lauren, and the CID agents inside the private cab as it descended toward the subterranean ambulance bay.
Inside the quiet elevator, the harsh fluorescent lights reflected off the steel walls. Lauren leaned her head against her mother's shoulder, her tears finally stopping as the warm fabric of the OCP uniform coat sheltered her from the cold world outside.
"Is it really over, Mom?" Lauren asked softly, her voice still raspy from hours of weeping.
Rebecca reached up, gently adjusting the collar of the jacket around her daughter's neck, her thumb brushing softly past the small bandage near Lauren's eyebrow.
"The night is over, Lauren," Rebecca replied, her eyes fixed on the descending floor indicator numbers above the door. "Tomorrow, the fight begins. And this time, you have an entire army behind you."
In the bay below, the rear doors of an unmarked dark SUV stood open, guarded by two additional armed officers standing in the rain.
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Above them, on the fourth floor of Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, Room 412 sat in complete, ruined silence.
Adrian Whitaker slumped into the visitor's chair, his head in his hands as his phone began to ring incessantly with notifications from his firm's managing partners. Evan stared blankly at the empty hospital bed, the reality of his actions finally settling into his hollow chest. And Celeste Whitaker stood alone by the window, watching through the rain-streaked glass as the dark SUV pulled out of the hospital bay and vanished into the night, carrying her daughter-in-law far beyond their reach forever.
