Chapter 8 - No Badge
Captain Miller placed Sarah's service pistol inside a lockbox.
Her badge followed.
The metallic click sounded final.
"You were ordered away from this."
"I know."
"You interviewed witnesses."
"I spoke to people."
"Without authorization."
"As Lily's mother."
Miller stared at her.
"Thorne has obtained a temporary restraining order."
Sarah almost smiled.
"Against me?"
"You cannot contact Marcus or Leo."
"The boy who assaulted my daughter now needs protection from me?"
"That's how his attorneys presented it."
Sarah shook her head.
Miller lowered his voice.
"This is getting dangerous."
"It became dangerous when a child hit the ground."
"I'm talking about you."
"So am I."
Miller stepped closer.
"Marcus Thorne doesn't fight like a normal defendant."
"He doesn't need to."
"He owns companies."
"He owns judges."
"He owns politicians."
Sarah looked toward the lockbox containing her badge.
"Does he own you?"
Miller's face changed.
That answer hurt both of them.
"I'm trying to stop you from throwing away twelve years."
Sarah walked toward the door.
"My daughter almost lost the rest of her life."
"Twelve years doesn't sound that expensive anymore."
She left.
Outside, rain had begun falling.
Sarah sat inside her car.
For the first time since Lily's injury, doubt found her.
She could return to the hospital.
She could hire an attorney.
She could trust the official process.
Then her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She answered.
Silence.
Then a man's voice.
"Detective Vance."
Sarah said nothing.
"You're a mother."
"Act like one."
The call ended.
Sarah stared at the screen.
They wanted fear.
Instead, they had given her confirmation.
Marcus knew she had found something.
Sarah drove home.
She opened a locked metal box beneath her bed.
Inside were items from her years working undercover.
A small flashlight.
Lock picks.
A burner phone.
A compact camera.
An encrypted storage drive.
Sarah arranged them on the bed.
Then she dressed entirely in black.
At 11:42 p.m., she parked three blocks from the academy.
She looked toward the dark campus.
Breaking into private property could end what remained of her career.
It could also put her in prison.
Sarah thought of Lily whispering to paramedics.
He pushed me.
May you like
She opened the car door.
Tonight, she would find out whether the truth was still alive.
