Page 58 of Once Broken
And there, on the altar, lay Lucy Morgan, bound hand and foot with a gag stretched across her mouth, her eyes wide with terror above it.She was still alive—still breathing.Sarah Brooks stood with her back turned toward Riley.
Riley assessed the situation.She didn’t want to shoot if she didn’t have to.Then Lucy’s eyes shifted, spotting movement at the edge of the set.When she saw Riley, her body tensed, a muffled sound escaping around the gag.Riley raised a finger to her lips—a silent plea for silence—but it was too late.Sarah had noticed her captive’s reaction.
“I wondered when you’d arrive, Agent Paige,” Sarah said without turning, her voice eerily calm.“Your partner is quite skilled at conversation.Almost had me forgetting why we’re all here.”
Riley raised her weapon in a two-handed grip.She moved forward quickly.“Sarah Brooks,” she called, “FBI.Drop the wire and step away from Lucy Morgan.”
Sarah turned slowly, revealing that the garrote wire was already held against Lucy’s neck.Thin, nearly invisible, that wire was capable of slicing through flesh with terrifying efficiency if applied with pressure.
“You know I can’t do that, Agent Paige.Not when I’ve come this far.My grandfather’s trilogy requires completion.”
Riley was twenty feet away now, close enough to see the gleam of tears in Sarah’s eyes.Lucy Morgan’s chest rose and fell in rapid, shallow breaths.
Riley steadied her aim, centering the sights on Sarah’s torso.“Do you value your revenge more than you do your own life?”
Sarah froze.For a moment Riley thought she might try to complete her mission even at the cost of her own life.Her finger tightened on the trigger of her gun.
“That really is your choice, Sarah,” Riley said.“Do you want to die?Because that’s what’s going to happen if you kill this woman.”
Then Sarah’s shoulders slumped.The garrote wire slackened in her grip.A sob tore from her throat—raw, primal.
“I’m so sorry, Mother,” she whispered, her face contorting with grief.“You were right.You were always right.I’m too weak.”
Sarah sank to her knees as she continued to sob.
Riley felt strangely staggered by Sarah’s words.She moved forward quickly, retrieving the garrote wire and throwing it well out of reach.She pulled Sarah’s wrists behind her back and secured them with handcuffs.
“Sarah Brooks, you’re under arrest for the murders of Veronica Slate and Crystal Keene, and the attempted murder of Lucy Morgan.”
***
Soon there was the controlled chaos of first responders, the mechanical efficiency of evidence technicians photographing the elaborate church set, and beneath it all, the invisible current of relief that pulsed through everyone present.This time, they had arrived before death could claim its intended prize.
Sarah Brooks stood flanked by uniformed officers, her wrists still secured in cuffs, her face a blank mask as she stared at some middle distance only she could see.She offered no resistance as the officers guided her toward the exit.
Detective Hayes approached Riley.“We’ll need your full statement, of course, but that can wait until we’re back at headquarters.”He nodded toward where Sarah was being led away.“Remarkable work, Agent Paige.If you hadn’t figured out she was using the church set rather than a real church...”
He left the sentence unfinished, both of them all too aware of the alternative outcome.
“And if Ann Marie hadn’t kept her talking,” Riley added.“She gave me the time I needed.”
As if summoned by her name, Ann Marie appeared beside them.“Lucy’s stabilizing,” she reported.“Physically, she’s going to be fine.Mentally...”She shrugged slightly.“Time will tell.”
Hayes excused himself to coordinate with the evidence technicians, leaving Riley and Ann Marie standing in the meticulously constructed church set.
“I can drive us to the station,” Ann Marie offered.“We should finalize our reports while everything’s still fresh.”
Riley’s gaze drifted toward the exit where officers were preparing to load Sarah into a police transport van.“You go ahead.I’m going to ride with Sarah.”
Ann Marie followed her gaze, understanding dawning in her eyes.“The thing she said about her mother.About being too weak.That really troubled you.”
Riley nodded.
“Of course,” Ann Marie agreed.“I’ll meet you at the station.”
Riley slid into the police van, taking the seat across from Sarah Brooks.The doors closed with a hollow thunk, sealing them into a confined space, its interior divided by a metal grate that separated the prisoner compartment from the officers’ section.
As the vehicle pulled away from Magnolia Gateway Films, Sarah kept her gaze fixed on her lap, her shoulders hunched forward in a posture of defeat.