Page 53 of For Blood

"I saw him.Keller.Standing over Lucas.There was so much blood."Gregory's voice dropped to a whisper."I wanted it to be a shadow, a trick of the light.Hell, I even told myself I must've been drunk.Anything but the truth."

Morgan's mind raced, pieces of the puzzle falling into place."But you knew, didn't you?Deep down, you always knew."

Gregory nodded, a tear tracing a path down his cheek."How do you reconcile that?The man who preached about love and forgiveness...the same hands that comforted the grieving, they took a life.I couldn't...I just couldn't believe it."

Morgan felt a lump forming in her throat.She thought of her own struggles with truth and deception, of the lies that had shaped her life."So you convinced yourself it wasn't real."

"I had to," Gregory whispered."The alternative...it would have destroyed everything we believed in.Everything we were."

As Morgan watched Gregory grapple with his long-buried truth, she couldn't help but wonder about the weight of secrets, and the devastating power they held when finally unleashed.

Morgan's fingers tightened around the rail of Gregory's hospital bed, her knuckles turning white.The weight of his confession hung heavy in the air, suffocating in its implications.She could feel the ache of two decades of silence radiating from Gregory, a pain that mirrored her own experiences with injustice.

"And because you stayed silent," Morgan said, her voice low and controlled despite the storm of emotions raging within her, "Sarah Winters took matters into her own hands."

Gregory's eyes, red-rimmed and haunted, met hers."I never thought...I never imagined she'd..."

"Twenty years is a long time to carry that kind of grief," Morgan cut in, her tone sharp."That anger.That hunger for justice."She paused, thinking of her own decade-long quest for vengeance against Richard Cordell."It festers.Grows.Until it consumes you entirely."

A choked sob escaped Gregory's lips."I should have said something.I should have--"

"Yeah, you should have," Morgan interrupted, unable to keep the bitterness from her voice.She took a deep breath, forcing herself to soften."But you can't change the past.Trust me, I know."

She turned away from the bed, pacing the small hospital room.Her mind raced, connecting the dots between Sarah's actions and the recent murders."She was recreating the original crime scenes, wasn't she?Punishing those she thought had let the killer walk free."

Gregory nodded weakly."I never saw it coming.None of us did."

Morgan stopped at the window, staring out at the Dallas skyline."Now, with her arrest, the case is closed.The families finally have their answers."She turned back to Gregory, her expression grim."But at what cost?"

The silence that followed was deafening.Morgan could almost hear the echoes of lives shattered, families torn apart, all because of one man's actions and the subsequent cascade of silence and vengeance.

"What happens now?"Gregory asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Morgan's jaw clenched."Now?Now we pick up the pieces.We try to make sense of the senseless."She moved back to the bedside, her eyes locked on Gregory's."And we learn from this.All of us.Because the truth always comes out, one way or another.And sometimes, the price of silence is higher than we can bear."

As she spoke, Morgan couldn't help but think of her own secrets, the truths she'd been chasing, and the lies that had shaped her life.She wondered, not for the first time, what price she might ultimately pay for her own pursuit of justice.

EPILOGUE

The sky was a deep navy blue, studded with faint stars, as Morgan guided her car into the driveway.Exhaustion weighed heavy on her shoulders, seeping into her bones.She cut the engine, and for a moment, the silence was deafening.Beside her, Derik's breathing was steady, a reminder of his constant presence through this hellish case.

Morgan pushed open the car door, the cool night air a welcome respite.As she fumbled with her house keys, the front door burst open.A blur of gray and white fur barreled towards her, nearly knocking her off her feet.

"Hey, buddy," Morgan murmured, dropping to one knee.Skunk's tail wagged furiously, his whole body vibrating with excitement.She buried her fingers in his thick fur, scratching behind his ears.The simple act grounded her, pulling her back from the edge of the abyss she'd been teetering on for days.

Derik chuckled softly behind her."I swear, that dog loves you more than life itself."

As they stepped inside, Morgan felt the tension in her muscles begin to uncoil.Home.Safe.For now, at least.

She collapsed onto the couch, Skunk immediately jumping up to lay his head in her lap.Derik disappeared into the kitchen, returning moments later with two glasses of water.

"You okay?"he asked, settling beside her.

Morgan took a long sip before answering."I don't know," she admitted."This case...it's brought up a lot of ghosts."

Derik's hand found hers, squeezing gently."Want to talk about it?"

She closed her eyes, images of Sarah Winters flashing through her mind."I keep thinking about her, Derik.Twenty years.Can you imagine carrying that kind of pain, that anger, for so long?"

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