- 16 hours ago
- #full
- #shortfilm
- #high
#FULL EPISODE #shortfilm
FULL VERSION #High Quality
#FULL EP
- FULL EP 2026
FULL VERSION #High Quality
#FULL EP
- FULL EP 2026
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00Eight years ago, the serial murder case I handled was overturned.
00:03The victims' enraged families stabbed me multiple times outside my parents' home,
00:07demanding I pay with my life.
00:10My family, ashamed of me, cut off all ties.
00:12I was imprisoned for eight years on charges of gross misconduct.
00:16After my release, I hid in a small coastal town in Maine,
00:19became a fisherwoman, and finally found something like peace.
00:21Then, Lucas Drake arrived and shattered that peace.
00:24He was already a celebrated police commissioner,
00:27famous throughout the state for cracking impossible cases.
00:29Outside my small wooden shack,
00:31reporters packed in front of the door and shouted at the top of their voices,
00:34Mrs. Voss, Commissioner Drake hasn't married in eight years.
00:38Has he been waiting for you to come back?
00:40I looked at him standing there in the crowd,
00:42wrapped in all his glory and all his medals, and I almost laughed.
00:46Nobody knew that the man behind the wrongful conviction,
00:49the one who had manufactured false evidence to earn his mistress a commendation,
00:53then pushed me out front to take the fall,
00:55was this very same devoted Commissioner Drake.
00:58The wooden door stayed shut.
00:59At the sight of it, the reporters only grew louder on Lucas's behalf.
01:02Lucas himself remained composed.
01:04Boss Frank heard the noise outside getting worse
01:07and came out of the shack, bowing slightly toward Lucas.
01:11Commissioner, we're all law-abiding people here.
01:14We haven't done anything wrong.
01:15This little place can't accommodate someone of your standing, sir.
01:19If you and all these people don't leave soon, we won't have a business to run tomorrow.
01:24Serena!
01:25Commissioner Drake came all this way to find you.
01:27Come out and say hello!
01:29There's no need.
01:30Don't pressure.
01:31At the sound of that voice, my hands went still over the fishing net I was mending.
01:35The sharp nylon cord had already cut a deep line across my fingers.
01:39Even after all these years, that voice still reached right through me.
01:43Based on everything I knew about him,
01:44the idea that Lucas Drake had lingering feelings for me
01:47was as absurd as the sun rising in the west.
01:49But I knew him well enough to know he wouldn't leave until I showed my face.
01:52Thinking of Boss Frank, who had always been good to me,
01:55I let out a long breath, set down the net, and walked out.
01:58The moment I appeared, the reporters swore.
02:00Mrs. Boss, how does it feel to go from a decorated genius detective to a fisherwoman?
02:04Commissioner Drake clearly still cares deeply for you.
02:07Are you avoiding him because you're still resentful to uphold the truth back then?
02:09We've heard your former apprentice has refused to marry for eight years,
02:13waiting for the commissioner.
02:14What do you make of that?
02:14The reporters surged closer,
02:16and a microphone jabbed against my face more than once.
02:19My gaze traveled over their heads and locked with Lucas' cold eyes from across the distance.
02:24Every muscle in my body went rigid.
02:27I opened my mouth.
02:28Nothing came out.
02:29The reporters, getting no answer, grew more aggressive,
02:32several times nearly knocking me off my feet.
02:34Then, he moved through the crowd and stepped in front of me, blocking him.
02:37Everyone, this is a private matter between the two of us and is not open for comment.
02:44These people work hard for a living.
02:46Don't interfere with their livelihood.
02:48Please go.
02:48The reporters scattered, grumbling.
02:50I exhaled and was about to turn back to the shack.
02:53Lucas spoke.
02:54Serena.
02:55I forced my body to stop trembling and looked up at him.
02:57Is there something you need, Commissioner Drake?
02:58At the title I used, he paused, then asked slowly.
03:02These past years, have you been alright?
03:06That question coming from him was genuinely absurd.
03:08I wanted to laugh and couldn't find it appropriate.
03:11He took another step toward me and raised his hand.
03:13I instinctively stepped back and didn't notice the stone at my feet.
03:16I went down hard, all four limbs in the air, the wound on my finger scraping the gravel,
03:22blood welling quietly.
03:23He rushed forward, his expression genuinely alarmed.
03:26Are you alright?
03:27Here, let me…
03:28I scrambled backward on my own and got myself up against the wall.
03:33I'm fine.
03:34Commissioner Drake, if there's nothing else, I'll head back in.
03:36I need to be out on the water before sunrise tomorrow.
03:39Lucas's expression flinched.
03:41Serena, does it have to be this formal between us?
03:43You don't know.
03:45These years I've…
03:45He was cut off by a voice.
03:47Daddy!
03:48Mommy and I missed you so much!
03:49A child of about eight or nine launched themselves into Lucas's arms.
03:53Stella Holt followed behind, supporting my parents as they walked.
03:56She took Lucas's outstretched hand and gave him a reproachful look.
04:00Lucas, how could you come visit my mentor without telling me?
04:04Mom and dad were worried sick about you coming all the way out to a place like this on your
04:08own.
04:08She turned and smiled at me, a smile with just the faintest edge of condescension.
04:13No offense, Mantor.
04:15The little one just misses her daddy so much.
04:17And with this one making things lively, she just wants to be close to Lucas.
04:22My eyes moved without meaning to, to her flat abdomen.
04:25I thought of what the reporters had said and felt the bitterness of it.
04:28Lucas Drake hadn't married in eight years, waiting for me to come back.
04:32Yet he had two children with Stella Holt, one of them already this old.
04:36I thought back to before my imprisonment, when Stella had been wounded on duty
04:39and spent a year recovering at a rehabilitation facility.
04:42By a convenient coincidence, Lucas had been assigned away for a year at the same time.
04:46Most likely, they had already started something then.
04:49And I had been the last to know, still running cover for Stella, giving her credit, protecting her blindly.
04:54Before I could say a word, my parents turned on me.
04:57Serena Voss, how do you have the nerve to still be breathing?
05:01You've dragged our name through the dirt.
05:03Three years ago, your father had a stroke.
05:07If Stella hadn't been checking in on us regularly and gotten him to the hospital in time,
05:12he'd already be in the ground.
05:15I looked at their white hair and weathered faces.
05:17All these years, unable to be at their side, a wave of sorrow moved through me.
05:22Watching how fiercely they defended Lucas and Stella made it cut even deeper.
05:25If they knew, if they knew that the people they were grateful to were the very ones who had destroyed
05:30their daughter,
05:31I wondered what they would feel.
05:33Lucas, a woman this ungrateful isn't worth a second of your concern.
05:37After what she did, I'd be too ashamed to show my face.
05:41You don't need to go chasing after her.
05:43We don't have a daughter anymore.
05:45Stella is our daughter.
05:47And you're still our son-in-law.
05:48Boss Frank looked from my parents' venomous expressions to me, and his eyes went strange.
05:53After everything they said, I found I had nothing left to say.
05:57My hands, trembling slightly, gave me away.
05:59Lucas noticed.
06:00He said in a tone of weary patience.
06:02These years, people have been blaming them too.
06:05Don't hold it against them.
06:06He soothed my parents gently, and before leaving, turned back to me one last time.
06:11What happened back then, I have always owed you for it.
06:14My number hasn't changed.
06:16Call me if you need anything.
06:18After my parents and the rest of them were gone,
06:20Boss Frank's wife found me and put a hand on my shoulder.
06:23Her expression was complicated.
06:25In the end, she said nothing, but I knew something had shifted.
06:28Sure enough, the next day on the water, I was assigned the most barren stretch of sea.
06:32Serena, it's not that I'm not looking out for you.
06:37Yesterday's scene was too much, and you came out of prison.
06:42The others don't want to work near you.
06:43There's nothing I can do but send you out alone.
06:45I nodded in silence, held the heavy nets in hand,
06:48and walked toward the small boat that looked fragile against the waves.
06:51A sadness moved through me.
06:53The quiet I had built, Lucas Drake, tore it apart with his own hands.
06:58For days, I did the hardest work for the lowest pay.
07:01Then, one week later, Boss Frank found me and pressed a thick envelope into my hand.
07:06He avoided my eyes.
07:07Serena, I'm doubling this month's wages.
07:09Try your luck somewhere else.
07:13Was it Lucas?
07:14Boss Frank let out a long sigh.
07:16Don't blame me.
07:16You know what kind of man Commissioner Drake is.
07:19I'm just a regular person with a family to feed.
07:21How could I afford to cross him?
07:23Take a friend's advice.
07:24Make peace with him.
07:26A woman as sharp as you, someone who broke the cases you broke,
07:29you shouldn't be rotting in a place like this.
07:32The Commissioner only wants what's best for you.
07:35What's best for me?
07:36Those light, hollow words landed on me like a mountain.
07:38I stood there, holding the cash, fingers cold.
07:41I didn't argue.
07:42I didn't beg.
07:43I turned, packed what little I had, and left the coastal town I had barely lived in for a year.
07:48On the third day of being turned away, everywhere I went, Lucas called.
07:51Serena, I've arranged a civilian administrative position for you at the Harlow City Police Department.
07:56I'm sending someone to bring you in.
07:58You start in three days.
08:00Commissioner Drake, I cannot accept your generosities.
08:05I only ask one thing.
08:07Please leave me alone.
08:10Leave you alone?
08:11Lucas's voice stayed even.
08:13I'm only trying to help.
08:15There's no reason to treat me like a threat.
08:17I remember who you were.
08:18The pride of the Force.
08:20If it weren't for...
08:22He paused.
08:23I know you hate me, but you can't go on destroying yourself like...
08:26If a desk job doesn't appeal to you, come and consult for Stella instead.
08:31She just made deputy commissioner.
08:33It's a busy time for her.
08:34You were her mentor.
08:36It would be natural for you to guide her.
08:38I clenched my teeth and refused.
08:40I appreciate the thought.
08:42I only want a quiet life.
08:44He didn't engage with that.
08:46I understand you're still holding on to the past.
08:49But this isn't the moment for stubbornness.
08:51You'll understand my intentions later.
08:53Your intentions?
08:55Do you mean for me to go on being an accomplice in your wrongful convictions?
09:01Or to keep taking the fall for Stella Holt?
09:04Serena Vos!
09:06Watch what you say.
09:08This consultant position, you will take it whether you want to or not.
09:12Unless...
09:13You want your parents to end up homeless in their old age.
09:17With no one to care for them.
09:19Of course.
09:20He always knew exactly where to press.
09:24On the third day after I returned to Harlow City, someone came and brought me to a venue.
09:30Camera shutters exploded from every direction.
09:33It was a press conference.
09:35Stella Holt sat at the front table.
09:37Behind her, a large screen displayed the event title.
09:40Thank you all for attending today.
09:43This press conference is a statement of our department's commitment to justice, rehabilitation, and second chances.
09:50She turned toward me.
09:51This is my mentor, Serena Vos.
09:54Though she once made a grave error, the law has rendered its judgment.
09:59We believe every person deserves the chance to begin again.
10:02Her gaze lingered on my pale face.
10:05Her tone grave.
10:06As officers of the law, we do not abandon those who are willing to reform.
10:10Following a decision made jointly by Commissioner Drake and myself, we are pleased to appoint Ms. Serena Vos as a
10:15civilian forensic consultant to the Criminal Investigation Division.
10:18We hope she can contribute her experience and expertise to the community.
10:21The reporters erupted, feeling as though I had been stripped bare and put on display.
10:26She walked to me.
10:29Mentor, a small gesture from me.
10:32Please accept it.
10:33Think of it as a welcome gift.
10:35The posture looked like deference.
10:37It was condescension worn as generosity.
10:41I watched the flash of triumph in her eyes and felt my stomach turn.
10:45While the room filled with murmurs of admiration for her grace, I became the backdrop that made them shine.
10:51That evening, the news cycle moved fast.
10:53I watched the notifications flood my phone and laughed.
10:57Once again, they had nailed me to the post of public shame.
11:00This time, in front of the entire city.
11:04After the press conference, my parents came by from time to time.
11:08Every time, they looked at Stella with warm, maternal eyes.
11:12Every time, they looked at Lucas with grateful tenderness.
11:16Lucas, you've done so much.
11:18To still be managing this ungrateful girl, that's above and beyond.
11:24Serena, look at Stella.
11:26Look how far she's gone.
11:27If you had even half her worth, we could die in peace.
11:31My mother would even take Stella's hand.
11:33Stella, you're carrying now.
11:36Don't overwork yourself.
11:39If Serena gives you any trouble, you tell me.
11:42And I'll deal with her.
11:44I watched this scene.
11:45My heart had gone so numb, it couldn't register pain anymore.
11:49Oh, by the way, Mentor, we've recently apprehended a gang of fugitives.
11:53Their leader seems to be connected to your old case.
11:57He's the younger brother of one of the victims from the serial murders you investigated.
12:01He's apparently had a grudge against you all this time.
12:04Says he's going to find you and make you pay.
12:09What?
12:11Is that true?
12:12My father slammed the table and pointed at me.
12:15That's what you get!
12:19His brother died horribly because of you.
12:23Of course he wants revenge.
12:25That's only right.
12:28Stella, Lucas, you have to do something about this!
12:32Whatever happens to her, she brought on herself.
12:34We just can't let it come back on you two.
12:36Mom, don't worry.
12:38With me and Lucas here, nothing will happen to Mentor.
12:42We've already had a word with them.
12:45And her eyes swept over me with a look that wasn't quite a smile.
12:49Something inside me went cold.
12:51What are Lucas and Stella planning now?
12:55In the days that followed, the area outside my apartment grew increasingly hostile.
13:00At first, scattered shouts.
13:02Then, pounding on the door.
13:04Death threats.
13:05The families of the wrongly convicted poured all their pain and fury onto me.
13:10I sat inside and listened to the crash of fists against my door, the curses seeping through the walls.
13:19Each impact felt like it landed on my chest.
13:22One afternoon, my parents came.
13:24They stood at the door and didn't step inside.
13:51They stood at the door and didn't step inside.
13:54Baby, how do we face Lucas?
13:56I looked at her.
13:57This door is precious.
14:00My chest tightened until I could barely breathe.
14:03Go and talk to them?
14:04In front of people blinded by grief and rage, that was the same as asking me to walk into my
14:10own death.
14:11Mom.
14:12Dad.
14:13My voice came out raw, the last of my effort.
14:16Have you ever once considered that I was innocent?
14:18What happened back then, it was Lucas, Drakes, and Stella Holt who...
14:25Enough!
14:27Even now, you refuse to own what you did.
14:30You want to drag Stella and Lucas through the mud after everything they've done for us.
14:34They've been better to us than you ever were.
14:38Stella saved your father's life.
14:41You have no conscience left.
14:46Say another word against them and we'll pretend we never had you.
14:50Then, Stella's voice drifted in from the hallway.
14:53Mom.
14:53Dad.
14:54Why did you come here?
14:56It's not safe.
14:58My parents, the moment they saw her, softened completely.
15:02Stella, this is no place for you in your condition.
15:05Be careful.
15:07How are you and the little one?
15:08And Lucas.
15:09Please take care.
15:10They surrounded her.
15:11Every murmured word of care was a pin, pressed quietly into my skin.
15:16I stood and watched this scene of family warmth that had no place for me.
15:22The last trace of hope I'd kept for them ran out.
15:25Stella soothed them and guided them back down the hall.
15:28As she passed me, her eyes moved over mine.
15:31There was a satisfaction in them, barely hidden.
15:34A few days later, my mother called.
15:36Her voice, for the first time in years, was soft.
15:41I really craved the honey cake from the old bakery at the southern end of the town.
15:47Could you go buy some?
15:48I went out.
15:50Just as I turned into a quiet side alley, several figures rushed out from behind.
15:55A bag went over my head.
15:57The world went black.
16:00A tremendous force drove me into the ground, the back of my skull hitting cold pavement.
16:06You filthy animal.
16:08We finally got you.
16:10Pay for the ones you killed.
16:12Fists and boots would sound like hailstones.
16:15I curled in there, trying to protect my core, but each glow drove through me.
16:19Every breath brought a sharp, metallic pain.
16:22I lost track of time.
16:24Eventually, I was dropped onto the ground.
16:26The bag was torn away.
16:28The dim light made my eyes ache.
16:31A younger man with red-winged eyes lifted a broken bottle.
16:34My brother was only 19!
16:37His whole life was ahead of him!
16:39You took it!
16:40If you hadn't closed the case so fast, the real killer wouldn't have run free for years.
16:45The evidence wouldn't have been so hard to find.
16:47And here you are.
16:50Still alive.
16:52Why?
16:53Why should you be?
16:54Hot blood poured from my arm.
16:56Bet you didn't know it was your own mother who helped lure you out here.
17:00All they asked was that we leave Lucas Drake's and his family out of it.
17:05You're pathetic.
17:07Even your own parents gave you up.
17:09My consciousness blurred at the edges.
17:11My mother's voice calling me out the door with her soft request still echoed somewhere.
17:17I hadn't misread her.
17:18I had just wanted too much to be forgiven.
17:22The blood loss and pain started making me shake uncontrollably.
17:25The warmth leaving my body.
17:27Above me, they raised an iron bar.
17:29I looked at it, and I closed my eyes.
17:31Being alive is too exhausting.
17:33My parents' contempt.
17:35My ex-husband's betrayal.
17:36My apprentices' calculated destruction.
17:39In the blur of it, I drifted back to being small.
17:42When thunder shook the house at night and I was scared, my father would quietly get up and leave the
17:46light on.
17:47My mother would sit beside me and pat my back in slow, steady strokes.
17:50Her voice was the most reassuring sound in the world.
17:53It's okay, baby.
17:54Mommy and daddy will keep you safe.
17:56Don't be scared.
17:57That voice seemed to get clearer, not fainter.
18:00Tears moved down the side of my face.
18:02My lips moved without sound.
18:04Mom, I'm not scared.
18:06A strange peace spread through every limb.
18:08If my dying would finally give them rest, maybe that was all right.
18:12The bar swung toward my skull.
18:13In the final second before it hit, a voice rang through the space.
18:17Stand down!
18:18Police!
18:18Outside, the shriek of sirens tore through the night.
18:23That shout, stand down, was clear and certain.
18:26A man's voice.
18:27Then the sirens came, red and blue light strobing through the broken warehouse windows.
18:31A figure broke through the door first.
18:33Fast, clean, no wasted motion.
18:35When he turned, I stopped breathing.
18:37It was Ethan Solis, State Bureau Investigator, my junior from the police academy.
18:41Nobody move!
18:42Ethan had his weapon trained on the ringleader, his gaze steel-edged.
18:45The officers behind him flooded the space and took control.
18:48The men were pressed to the floor, cuffed.
18:50Ethan crossed the warehouse in quick strides, crouched beside me, and assessed my injuries.
18:54When he saw my arm, the torn skin, the blood, his eyes went red at the rims.
18:59He controlled it.
19:00He pressed to the wound with practiced efficiency.
19:03Stay with me.
19:04The ambulance is on its way.
19:05His voice was quiet.
19:06Underneath it, barely there, was a tremor.
19:08I tried to pull together something like a smile.
19:10Ethan Solis!
19:12What are you doing here?
19:13Later, he said simply.
19:14His eyes didn't leave the wound.
19:18At the hospital, Ethan used the investigation as his reason to stay.
19:21Once the medical staff were gone and only the two of us remained in the room, he spoke.
19:25Serena, after I transferred back to the State Bureau, I never stopped watching your case.
19:30I always felt something was wrong with what happened eight years ago.
19:33He set an encrypted drive on the nightstand.
19:38This is everything I've gathered quietly over the years.
19:40It can't fully prove your innocence yet, but it shows clearly that the case was full of unanswered questions.
19:45Why?
19:47Because I know you.
19:48I know who you are.
19:49I know you would never have done what they said you did.
19:53I've been waiting for the right moment.
19:55Then the door opened.
19:56Lucas Drake walked in.
19:57Stella Holt a step behind him.
19:59When they saw Ethan, both of their expressions shifted.
20:01Just for a second.
20:03Lucas recovered first.
20:06Investigator Solis, what brings you here?
20:09Executing official duties, Commissioner Drake.
20:11The State Bureau has decided to open an investigation into the assault on Mrs. Voss.
20:16Stella moved quickly to the bedside, voice full of concern.
20:20Mentor?
20:21Are you all right?
20:22Lucas and I were up all night worrying.
20:24Her performance made my stomach clench.
20:25Ethan glanced at her once, coldly, and said nothing.
20:27Serena, you have my word.
20:29This will be investigated fully.
20:31And how will that investigation proceed, Commissioner Drake?
20:35The way you closed things eight years ago?
20:37Or will you be looking for another substitute?
20:39The room went silent.
20:42On Ethan's insistence, I was moved to a hospital designated by the State Bureau.
20:45He arranged for a protective detail and personally oversaw my recovery.
20:48One evening, he wheeled me through the hospital garden at dusk.
20:50You can't keep disappearing into yourself like this.
20:52He paused beside a bench.
20:54Do you remember the oath we took at the Academy?
20:58That no matter what we faced, we would see to it that justice reached the victims?
21:02I looked at the sun lowering at the edge of the sky and said nothing.
21:05Eight years had trained me to carry everything alone.
21:07Ethan crouched in front of me to meet my eye level.
21:09Serena, give me a chance and give yourself one.
21:14Let's find the truth together.
21:15His eyes were clear and steady, and they brought back the image of a younger version of him.
21:19Always one step behind me in the Academy halls, asking question after question.
21:23He'd grown into a man who could carry a room on his own, but that stubbornness had never changed.
21:27Just then, my parents appeared at the garden entrance.
21:29They hovered at a distance, uncertain, not quite able to approach.
21:32Ethan stood and spoke in a tone that was calm, but left no room for argument.
21:35Mr. and Mrs. Voss, Serena needs rest.
21:38If you genuinely care about her, please give her time.
21:41My mother nodded, crying quietly.
21:43We understand.
21:46Ethan, thank you for looking after her.
21:48My father bowed deeply, tears running down his face.
21:51I'm sorry, Serena.
21:52We never thought they would go that far.
21:55Looking at them, at their guilt and their grief, I felt something complicated move through me.
21:59Ethan quietly wrapped his hand around mine.
22:01The warmth was something I had almost forgotten existed.
22:05Slowly, under Ethan's encouragement, I began to look back at the case.
22:09We moved apart from everyone at the city department,
22:11and with old Ray's quiet assistance, gathered evidence in secret.
22:14Look here.
22:16Late at night in the hospital room, I pointed to the case photos on the laptop screen.
22:20When the third victim's body was found,
22:23the soil samples from the scene didn't match the soil of the location where the body was dumped.
22:28Ethan leaned in close.
22:30His hair brushed against my cheek.
22:31Which means that wasn't the primary scene.
22:34How did the original investigation completely miss something this significant?
22:37It wasn't missed.
22:38Someone deliberately overlooked it.
22:41We looked at each other.
22:42We both saw the same conclusion in the other's eyes.
22:44As the investigation deepened, more inconsistencies surfaced.
22:48Missing physical evidence.
22:50Contradictory testimony.
22:51Altered forensic records.
22:53One evening.
22:54I found the forensic technician who handled the original scene.
22:57Three months after the case closed, he resigned and moved abroad.
23:01And his bank account received a large, unexplained transfer around the same time.
23:06Can we trace where the money came from?
23:07The funds were moved through multiple channels.
23:10They end in an offshore shell company.
23:12He paused.
23:13But I noticed one detail.
23:16That company was registered at the exact time Stella Holt made her first official overseas study trip.
23:22My phone lit up with a message from an unknown number.
23:25Stop the investigation.
23:27Or your parents will suffer the consequences.
23:31The threat didn't stop us.
23:32If anything, it made us more certain.
23:35Ethan arranged for my parents to be moved somewhere safe.
23:37We chose a different line of approach.
23:39We went back and spoke to the original victim's families.
23:42In a bare, simple rental apartment, we found the mother of the first victim.
23:46Eight years later, this woman was still drowning in the loss of her son.
23:49He was a good boy.
23:50She held his photograph as she spoke.
23:52He never went out alone late at night.
23:54That evening, he left because of a phone call.
23:57That detail had never appeared in the official case file.
24:00Do you remember anything about who called?
24:02Ethan asked gently.
24:04The woman shook her head.
24:05Only that I heard him say,
24:07Sure, Stella.
24:10When we left, Ethan held my hand without letting go.
24:12We both understood what we had just found.
24:14As the interviews continued, more and more threads pointed towards Stella Holt.
24:18Yet every time we seemed to reach the truth, key evidence would vanish.
24:22Witnesses would change their accounts.
24:25Someone is actively working against us.
24:27Ethan said one night, exhausted, pressing his fingers to his temple.
24:31And whoever it is knows everything we're doing.
24:33I looked at the lines of tiredness in his face and felt a weight of guilt.
24:37I'm sorry for pulling you into this.
24:40He raised his head.
24:42The light in his eyes was unwavering.
24:43I chose this.
24:45And I believe justice finds its way eventually.
24:49Then the unexpected happened.
24:51On a rainy night, Lucas Drake came to my door alone.
24:55He was soaking wet, his face the color of ash.
24:59Serena, I...
25:01He saw Ethan sitting in the room and stopped.
25:03I'll make some tea.
25:05Lucas called after him.
25:06Investigator Solace, stay.
25:09This concerns you too.
25:11These years, I have lived with the guilt.
25:14The truth is, I did hide things back then.
25:17I think it's time I gave you both an answer.
25:20Neither Ethan nor I spoke.
25:22Lucas continued.
25:23The night it happened, Stella did go out.
25:27When she came back, there was blood on her clothes.
25:31She told me she'd come across a traffic accident, but...
25:34But what?
25:36But...
25:37The next morning, the murders were reported.
25:40Stella realized I had noticed something.
25:43She came to me on her knees and begged.
25:47There was already a child.
25:50I told myself I was protecting the family.
25:54So...
25:54When she suggested altering the forensic report,
25:58I let her.
26:00Why are you telling us this now?
26:03Because I found out.
26:05What?
26:06She may be connected to other cases.
26:09This is beyond what I can cover for anymore.
26:11Just as Lucas slid a folder of key evidence across the table,
26:15the sound of tires screeching to a stop came from outside.
26:18We moved to the window.
26:20Several black vehicles, figures in dark clothing moving fast toward the building entrance.
26:24Lucas had gone completely pale.
26:27They know I'm here.
26:29Ethan made the call instantly.
26:30The service stairwell.
26:32Now.
26:35Ethan got us to a state bureau safe house before dawn.
26:38The evidence Lucas had handed over wasn't enough to close the case, but it pointed the
26:41way forward.
26:42We need a DNA sample from Stella Holt.
26:45Ethan said, spreading the files across the table.
26:47If we can compare it against the biological material recovered from the original crime scenes,
26:52it's over.
26:53For the first time in eight years, I could feel the shape of something solid beneath my feet.
26:57Then old Ray called with news that hit like ice water.
27:01Stella Holt had filed for emergency leave.
27:04She booked an international flight for tomorrow morning.
27:06She's running.
27:07I said it before I'd finished the thought.
27:10No time to push through a formal arrest warrant.
27:12We have to get to the airport.
27:14We drove through the dark without speaking.
27:16The highway was empty.
27:17The only sound was the engine and my own heartbeat, steady and low.
27:20We were there before first light.
Comments