Page 10

The door to the main house swung open, a silent herald to the collective despair that awaited within. The once-vibrant foyer had transformed into a mausoleum of grief. Mark's friends clung to each other in a tight knot near the grand staircase, their sobs echoing off the high ceilings.

"It can't be real," one of them choked out between tears, her voice barely reaching the rafters. “This can’t be happening.”

"It has to be an accident," murmured another, her words more of a prayer than conviction.

Mothers with faces etched with lines of worry and sorrow whispered comforts that hung hollow in the air. They reached for tissues from boxes that had appeared as if by magic on every flat surface, dabbing at eyes and noses with delicate restraint.

"Stay strong," Amy said, her hand trembling as she patted Kara’s back. “For Victoria. We have to stay strong.”

In a shadowed corner sat Olivia. She sat apart from the rest, her knees drawn up, arms wrapped around them like a fortress. Her body swayed ever so slightly, a metronome of internal agony. Eyes fixed on her hands, she traced the lines of her palms, a wordless mantra to keep the turmoil inside her at bay.

"Olivia?" I ventured, my voice slicing through the thick air, a scalpel trying to reach her.

"I’m fine," she clipped back, her eyes betraying the lie. They were turbulent seas, threatening to spill over the levees of her lashes.

"No, you’re not; of course, you’re not," I pressed, but she only nodded, a jerky motion that spoke volumes.

"I’m here for you," I said, and it was both a promise and a plea.

"I know," she responded, her voice a whisper.

"Let me?—"

"Can't," she cut me off, her fingers now weaving an intricate pattern of anxiety on her knee.

"Olivia—"

"Stop." A single word, a dam against the deluge.

I exhaled, tasting the tension that hung between us, a bitter tang on my tongue.

"Hey," I murmured, lowering myself beside her. My arms wound around her, firm and unyielding. "I've got you."

She didn't speak; she just tilted into me, her rigid form softening. The subtle shake of her shoulders eased, and her breaths evened out in slow, measured pulls.

"Mom…." Her voice was a thread, barely there.

"I’m right here." I tightened my grip.

"This feels so unreal," she confessed, her words cracking like thin ice.

"That’s understandable." I stroked her hair, lines of strategy and care intertwining in my mind. "But know that you’re not alone. We'll get through this. Together."

"I’m scared," she admitted, a fissure in her armor.

"Me too, Olivia. Me too." My response was a whisper, a secret pact between us.

The room's pulse quickened, a living mesh of chatter and stifled sobs. I felt it throb against my temples, a constant reminder of the fragility surrounding us.

"A senseless tragedy," someone whispered, their words laced with disbelief.

"Did anyone see anything?" another voice quivered, searching for a thread of reason in the chaos.

I held Olivia tighter, her body a trembling note in the chaos. A mother first, agent second—but both screamed for action. A balancing act on a wire pulled taut by this morning's horror.

"Mom, what if…?" Olivia's voice trailed off, choked by the unspoken.

"Shh, let’s not worry about that now. There are a lot of questions we can’t answer yet," I murmured, brushing a kiss atop her head. "Focus on now. It’s all we can do."

"But you always find answers. You fix things." Her eyes sought mine, seeking the certainty I wasn't sure I could give.

"Olivia, some things…" I paused, measuring my next words. "Some things are beyond fixing. But understanding them? That's within reach."

"Will they even let you help?" she asked, skepticism threading her tone.

"Let me?" I almost chuckled at the idea. "Since when do I wait for permission?"

"Mom, the investigator…."

"Doesn't know what he's up against," I finished for her, my voice edged with steel. The professional in me clawed for dominance over the maternal shield I had wrapped around us. It was a fight I knew all too well.

"Be careful," Olivia breathed, her grip tightening on my arm.

"Always am." The promise hung between us, as heavy as the storm clouds gathering outside.

"Find who did this," she said, not a plea but a command—my daughter, every bit as resolute as I.

"Watch me." And with those words, I sealed my commitment to the truth—no matter the cost.