Chapter 8 - THE RECKONING
The red and blue lights of the police cruisers painted the bedroom walls. Paramedics had loaded Patricia onto a stretcher. The police found the custody papers and the recorder. With Uncle Robert’s name implicated and Thomas willing to testify, the web of my mother’s corruption was unraveling by the second. Emily sat on the edge of the bed, holding Lily and Sophie. Both girls were eating the remains of the bread Lily had smuggled earlier, finally safe. I stood by the shattered wall, staring at the dark passage. Michael walked up beside me. He held out his hand. In his palm sat the silver compass. “You lost this,” he said. I took it. The cold metal grounded me. “Michael, I’m so sorry. The company, the money… I’ll give it all back. I didn't know.” “I know you didn't,” Michael said, giving me a crooked, scarred smile. “And I don't want the money. I just want my daughter.” Emily stood up and walked over to us. She reached into her pocket and handed Michael a sealed envelope. “Claire left this with me,” Emily said softly. “It’s a letter to Sophie, for when she’s older. Explaining how much her father loved her. How he fought the world to be with her.” Michael took the letter, pressing it against his chest. For the first time all night, he broke down. He fell to his knees, sobbing quietly into his hands. Sophie hopped off the bed and walked over to him. She wrapped her small arms around his neck. “It’s okay, Daddy,” she whispered.
