Chapter 18 - A Light in the Quarry
I spent that night awake, staring at the space where Dad's photograph had hung. A road full of official vehicles did not mean a rescue. It could mean an empty building, a burned ledger, a body nobody would identify.
At dawn, Warden Marsh's door was sealed with red evidence tape. Two state officers took Colson from the administration building in handcuffs. He kept shouting that he had followed orders.
None of the women cheered. We had learned how easily a victory could become another reason for punishment. We watched and waited.
Leah arrived at noon, breathless from the drive. “They found Cedar House,” she said.
“Was it empty?”
“No. The generator was off and the doors were locked. Investigators entered under a warrant.”
“And my father?”
She took my hand. “He was there, Nina.”
For a moment I could hear only the buzz of the overhead light.
“He was listed under a false patient name,” she continued. “He has injuries that need treatment. Doctors are with him. Sofia Bell was also found alive, along with two other women. They're being moved to independent hospitals.”
I tried to thank her and couldn't. I pictured Dad teaching me to change a tire, fixing our sink, packing my lunches.
“He asked for you,” Leah said.
I bent over my clasped hands and cried until there was nothing left to hold inside.
That afternoon the state inspector came back. I gave a formal statement about the yard, the transfers, the forged order, and the photograph. I told only what I knew.
Before Sloan left, I asked what would happen to the women who had helped.
“We'll hear their statements and review retaliation. Nobody's promise is enough without protection.”
I nodded, thinking of Rhea and Gloria, Hazel and Amara, even Brandi and Ward.
May you like
Then Leah brought a note from the hospital.
Dad had written one sentence on a notepad with his injured hand: ASK NINA ABOUT THE EYE.
