Page 30

The startling glow of emergency lights painted the forest in alternating splashes of color, transforming the quiet logging road into something that looked like a surreal movie set. Jennifer Parker sat on the back step of the ambulance, an oxygen mask pressed to her face, her hands still trembling despite the shock blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Rachel watched as the EMT checked Jennifer's vitals for the third time. They were located roughly fifty feet away from where Rachel had removed Jennifer from the pod because the ambulance had not been able to make it all the way down the rough road.

"Blood pressure's still elevated," the EMT said, her voice professional but kind as she spoke to Jennifer. "But that's to be expected after what you've been through. Just keep taking slow, deep breaths."

The narrow dirt road had become a maze of emergency vehicles. Two patrol cars were angled awkwardly into the brush, their wheels sunk into the soft earth at the road's edge. The ambulance had barely made it down the rutted path, its driver having to navigate between tree stumps and low-hanging branches. Rachel had watched them inch their way in, the massive vehicle swaying dangerously as its tires fought for purchase on the uneven ground.

The scene was organized chaos – radio chatter crackling through the night air, flashlight beams cutting through the darkness, and the constant movement of uniformed officers securing the area. Every few minutes, another vehicle would attempt the treacherous journey down the logging road, adding to the congestion.

Just in front of the ambulance, Detective Wheeler was standing next to a police cruiser, one hand resting on the roof while he spoke into his radio. "Suspect is in custody, repeating, the suspect is in custody. We're going to need CSU to process this whole area, and someone get hold of the DA's office." In the backseat of the very same cruiser, Christopher Bradley sat in silence, his face illuminated by the strobing lights. Rachel noticed how ordinary he looked – like someone you'd pass in a grocery store without a second glance.

She and Novak both turned their attention to Jennifer now that the paramedic had given her a decent report.

"Ms. Parker," Rachel said, "I know this is difficult, but can you tell us exactly what happened? Every detail could be important."

Jennifer pulled the oxygen mask away from her face. Her mascara had run, leaving dark trails down her cheeks, and Rachel could see the angry red marks on her wrists where a restraint of some kind had been recently.

"I was... I was just going to meet my friend Sarah for drinks." Her voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. "Around five, I think. CJ—my husband—was watching football so I didn’t have anything to do. So I met a friend at McLaren's, the bar we go to sometimes. I got there and…and…”

"Take your time," Rachel encouraged, noting how Jennifer's fingers tightened around the oxygen mask.

"We had a few drinks and…yeah, I know…not responsible, but we left to head back home. I’d only had two drinks, you know. So I was fine…but I had just gotten to my car on the other side of the street…" Jennifer paused to take a shaky breath. I started the car when he popped up from the back seat. He’d…he’d broken into my car. I don’t even know how. But he was…he had a gun." Her voice cracked. "One of those small ones, a revolver, I think. He pressed it against my ribs from the back seat and said if I screamed or tried to run, he'd kill me right there."

Novak nodded sympathetically. "What happened next?"

"He made me drive. My own car at first. We took back roads I didn't recognize – he kept telling me where to turn. That's where he tied my hands and moved me to his truck. A blue pickup, I think. Just waiting there. Everything after that is..." She shuddered. "It's a blur."

"Did he talk during the drive?" Rachel asked, keeping her voice steady and calm. "Anything he said could help us build our case."

Jennifer nodded, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders. "He kept talking about someone named Kelly. His wife, I think. And he was talking about EndLight…I work there, remotely. About how he’d worked for them but he was finally using the ideas they had for good. To remember Kelly. I don’t know…it all sounded nuts to me. He said…well, he told me he knew about my suicide attempt…that he was going to make that right. That he was going to help me.”

A gust of wind rustled through the trees, causing the shadows to dance across the ground. More officers were arriving now, their vehicles creating a bottleneck at the narrow entrance to the logging road. The pod – that terrible machine – was being photographed by the crime scene unit, their camera flashes adding to the disorienting light show.

“Anything else?” Novak prodded.

“I don’t…I don’t think so. Like I said…after he tied me up…it was all just a blur.”

Rachel nodded, reaching out and placing an encouraging hand on Jennifer’s shoulder. “Can we call anyone for you?”

“The cop I spoke to earlier already called my husband. He should be on the way.” She smiled weakly and said, “Thank you. Sorry about your hand.”

“Oh, I’ll live.”

Rachel stepped away from the ambulance in the direction of the suicide pod. For a moment, she found herself drawn away from the chaos, recalling that soft, inviting blue light the pod had surrounded Jennifer in... The weight of the night pressed down on her, making her think of all the times she'd stood at similar scenes, all the lives balanced on the edge of darkness.

But that pod…it was an instrument of death no matter how you looked at it. And standing so close to it now, feeling its intent pressed into the night, Rachel felt tears coming on. She thought of her own imminent death. Yes, she'd beaten cancer and ensured so much…but one day, everyone met an end, one way or another.

She pulled out her phone, her fingers hovering over the screen for a moment before calling a saved number. It rang twice before a familiar voice answered.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Paige…”

She fought back tears, not quite sure where they were coming from. She tried to speak again, but her throat tightened up.

“Mom, what’s up? You okay?”

“Yeah,” she said, wiping a tear away from her cheek. “I just wanted to check in. How is everyone?"

"We’re good. Just making dinner. Mac and cheese with hotdogs cut up in it.”

“Jack’s idea, I take it?” Rachel said, smiling.

“Oh, you know it. Want me to get him?"

"In a minute." Rachel turned to look back at the scene behind her – the lights, the pod, the killer in custody – and felt the weight of what could have been. "I just wanted to hear your voice. Tell me about your day."

"Well, I studied my butt off for that English test, I have tomorrow" Paige said, pride evident in her voice. As Paige launched into the details of her day, Rachel felt more tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. Here she was, standing mere feet from a machine designed to end lives, listening to her daughter talk about her day. Such a vibrant ray of life in the presence of a death machine. It made the night feel both peaceful and sinister at the same time.

"Mom? Are you okay?" Paige's voice cut through her thoughts. "You're being quiet."

Rachel wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm perfect, honey. Just perfect. Put Jack on for a minute?"

There was a shuffling sound, then Jack's warm voice came through the phone. "Hey, you. Rough night?"

"Yeah," Rachel admitted. "But we got him. Case closed."

"That's my girl." She could hear the pride in his voice. "Coming home soon?"

"Soon as I can.” She looked to her hand and considered telling him that she may have to take a pitstop by a hospital. But she didn’t want to dive into all of that right now. “I love you.”

“Love you, too. See you soon.”

Rachel ended the call as she watched Wheeler's cruiser pull away, Bradley secured in the back. The man who had tried to take another life tonight would face justice, while she – who had once been so close to death herself – stood here blessed with a second chance, surrounded by all the reasons to live.

She took a deep breath of the cool night air. Behind her, the organized chaos continued – radios squawking, cameras clicking, voices calling out to each other through the darkness. A tow truck's headlights swept across the scene as it began the careful process of extracting the stuck patrol car.

But Rachel felt centered now, grounded. Tomorrow there would be paperwork and interviews, evidence to process and statements to take. But tonight, she had helped save a life, and she was going home to her family.

That was more than enough.