Chapter 17

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Lin blinked, tears glistening in the corners of his eyes. Kasey couldn't watch such a strong man cry. He was putting all the blame on himself. Lin sat down and put his hands over his eyes.

Kasey felt her own eyes start to tear up.

And then, surprisingly, Pippa stood and knelt before Lin, hugging him tightly. "It's not your fault," she said, her voice muffled by Lin's jacket. "Don't take the blame for this."

Kasey and the other cast members nodded in agreement. Anthony stepped forward. "Lin, none of this was your doing. It was the doing of people who cannot bear to see others succeed. You are not at fault for believing. This show is a beautiful show, and its beauty will not be destroyed. People will try to destroy things they despise, but even so, they cannot put bullet holes through love."

"We cannot close Hamilton. Giving into this hate is exactly what they want," Kasey spoke up. "They hate us because they are afraid of us. They tried to destroy us because they don't like the message we're spreading. If we close, then we let them win. We cannot let that happen."

"I cannot let you put your lives at risk," Lin said, looking up. "I will not let any of you risk death again. You say that love cannot be destroyed by bullet holes, but each one of you can be killed by a gun."

"I would rather be killed doing Hamilton and spreading an empowering message than be killed bowing down to racist extremists," Daveed said. "Closing the show is not just your choice, Lin. We all should vote. Who wants to close?"

Not one member raised their hands. "Who wants to remain open?"

Hands went in the air.

"Hamilton will not be closing. In fact, we will return. Perhaps not today, not tomorrow, but soon," Daveed said, patting Lin on the back. "Because love is love, and love will not give in to hate."

"Agreed," Oak said. "Don't let them take this show away from you, Lin."

"Thanks, you all," Lin said, wiping his eyes. He stood, and Pippa stood, too. "We'll reopen a week from today, if you all are up for it by then."

"Of course," Renee said.

~~~~~

They all decided to just spend time with each other. Going through something like the shooting had bonded them even closer as a cast. Javier was still in the hospital, but the doctors didn't want anyone to visit him yet. So, the cast just sat in the green room, quietly talking or playing games.

Eventually, the police came down.

"We realize that the shock of yesterday's events is still real in your minds, but we need to get all of your statements down now, so we can continue with the legal proceedings," one of the police officers said. "I will be pulling aside cast members individually to get the statements of what happened."

"You said individually?" Renee asked, looking up.

"Yes, we prefer an unbiased and honest statement from each witness," the police officer said.

"What about moral support?" Renee demanded. "This is an emotional time, and some people witnessed awful things. I think that warrants a sympathetic friend, don't you think?"

"We'd prefer not to have two witnesses in the room together," the officer explained, but he looked like he didn't agree with what was coming out of his own mouth. "I'm afraid we must start. We're trying to get all of you through as soon as possible so you can go home to your families. I'm sure that the separation has been difficult."

The officer pulled out a list, presumably of all the cast, crew and pit members. "I have a list of members, in order of those we need statements from the most. We have two officers running the statements, therefore there will be two at a time for those. I am asking for Lin Manuel-Miranda first, and after Lin Manuel-Miranda, I must speak to Alysha Deslorieux."

The officer's burly partner stepped forward. "And I am requesting first Phillipa Soo, followed by Jasmine Cephas Jones."

Lin inhaled sharply, casting a glance at Pippa. Color had drained from her face instantly, and Jazzy held to her friend's hand before Pippa slipped away, following one of the other police officers.

The room was silent after Lin and Pippa left. They all were waiting with baited breath. Kasey was trying to process and recall what she had seen. She hated having to do it, but she knew the statement would only help the police figure out what happened.

Her heart ached for Pippa. Sweet, caring Pippa. She was all alone in that room, reliving the horror of the day before, a horror that no one else in the cast had seen. Kasey wished she could have gone with her, or Renee, or Jazzy. And Lin was equally devastated by what had happened. He bore so much of the responsibility for what happened, when in reality, he had no control over the shooting.

About fifteen minutes, Lin returned, and Alysha followed the police officer out of the room. They waited for ten more minutes, and then, finally, Pippa came back. Her face was oddly wiped of emotion, but Kasey could see the desperation and the overwhelming sadness behind Pippa's eyes.

As soon as the police officer took Jazzy away, Pippa collapsed into Renee's arms, shaking with silent sobs. All Renee could do was soothe her as best she could. Lin, who had held his composure for the ten minutes before Pippa's return, could not hold up his facade any longer. He allowed tears to drip down his face.

"Alex Lacamoire and Renee Elise Goldsberry," the police officer called out. Renee gently kissed Pippa's forehead and stood. Oak took Renee's place holding Pippa. He was gentle. Kasey had never seen Oak be so gentle with anyone else before.

Lin stood up and silently left the green room. Everyone exchanged glances. "What is it like?" someone asked Alysha.

"It's hard," Alysha admitted. "They're taking the ones that they feel went through the most, and working their way down. They show you who did it, and why they did it, and they show you the aftermath. Then they ask you what happened from your perspective, and then you leave."

One by one, the cast members were called away, and then returned minutes later somewhat shaken and subdued.

It was the most difficult thing Kasey had ever experienced other than her family's deaths. Reliving the terror was something she never wanted to go through again, and yet, talking about it lessened the burden. The cast was allowed to leave after they gave their statements, but everyone stayed until the police returned.

"Thank you for your cooperation, and we apologize for any pain that this may have caused. It is a necessary and essential part of completing the crime report and will also help when the court case begins," the police officer said. They turned and left.

"Go home, all of you," Lin said, coming back in, his eyes red. "See your families. I don't expect you back here for at least a week."

Slowly everyone began to filter out of the green room.

"Let's go home, Kasey," Carleigh said. Kasey nodded. She grabbed her phone and cast one last look at Lin's slumped form before she followed Carleigh out of the theatre. 

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