Sanctuary

Epilogue - One Week Later

Nigel

The guard jabbed Nigel in the side with a nightstick, pushing him into the little glass cubicle with its singular clear chair. Nigel took a seat in the lone chair, which sat him in front of a glass window with a rounded speaker set into it. A woman sat on the other side of the window, her posture regal and tall despite the clear disgust in her eyes. It took him a moment to remember her name. Evelisse, Dani's mom.

"Nigel Saitoson," she began formally, her tone all business. "I am here regarding the accusations you brought against Cohen Harison."

"Is that his name? The one that hurt Dani?"

"Yes." Nigel noticed that Evelisse didn't argue, not even to say that Cohen hadn't hurt Dani. She didn't insist that Nigel was mistaken. Nigel nodded and committed the name to memory. Cohen Harison. That bastard would pay.

"My husband is not convinced that what you say is true," Evelisse continued and Nigel snorted.

"Of course not? Why would anyone believe the Dirt Walker?"

"I believe you."

That gave Nigel pause.

"I want you to tell me the truth, about what happened to my daughter. After that, when she was with you. How did she end up in the hospital?"

Nigel shook his head.

"I already told the police what happened."

"No. You didn't."

Nigel shrugged.

"Who are you protecting with your lies? Yourself? My daughter? Or is it your family?"

Nigel didn't rise to the bait, only stared in defiance.

"I am going to drop the charges against you, but I want you to understand that it is no longer your responsibility to protect my daughter. It is mine."

"Well I hope you do a better job than last time," Nigel bit back, taking some glimmer of pride in how Evelisse flinched at his jab. She regained her composure quickly.

"For your sake, I will ignore that comment. You would do well to respect your betters."

"I will when I see them," Nigel shot back, but this time Evelisse did not flinch. Instead she pulled a grey sheet of recycled newsprint from her designer clutch. She smoothed the folded page out with a pristinely gloved hand.

"Mind your tongue," she responded lightly. "I'm doing you a favor, remember? I'm going against the wishes of my husband, dropping your charges like this. He'd rather see you rot. Before I tell them to release you, however, I have a bit of news."

Nigel shifted in his seat, but said nothing.

"You see, someone broke into the Presidential Tower and assassinated the President and his family. A horrible tragedy." She didn't sound upset, despite her words. "In the time that you've been kept here, a new President was elected." She pressed the bit of newsprint against the glass, so Nigel could read the headline and recognize the family in the photo. "You will never see my daughter again."

-

Dani

A numbness had long since settled in Dani's chest. Part of her had hoped, perhaps naively, that Nigel would return to visit her in the hospital. She had hoped to escape her parents, somehow, to escape the grim inevitability of returning to a family that never listened to her even when she had her voice. But Nigel had never returned and her parents hadn't said a word about the boy who had brought her there. It was better, she supposed, that he had dumped her and left. If he had stayed in the hospital her parents would likely have had him arrested. At least this way she could assume he met back up with his family, that they were finding a new place to hide together.