Chapter 18 - The Shadowed Depths
Two days passed.
The bright summer sun lit up the pristine white room of the city hospital.
Lily and Emma were sleeping peacefully in twin beds, surrounded by teddy bears and flowers.
Mark sat in a chair between them, a bandage wrapped around his shoulder and forehead.
Marcus was sitting in the corner, his left arm supported by a dark sling.
The door opened quietly and Detective Vance walked in holding a thick stack of legal documents.
"How are they doing?" Vance asked softly.
"They slept through the night for the first time in months," Mark answered, looking at his daughters.
"That's good," Vance nodded.
She placed the legal file on the small table next to Mark.
"Judge Vance and six officers have been officially indicted on federal corruption charges," Vance reported.
"The CPS agents who took your daughters are in federal custody awaiting trial."
"And Sarah?" Mark asked, his voice tightening at her name.
Detective Vance looked down at the floor for a long moment before answering.
"Coast Guard divers swept the base of the cliffs for forty-eight hours," Vance said slowly.
"The water currents near those rocks are violent, Mark."
"Did they find her?" Mark pressed firmly.
"They found pieces of the wooden balcony structure," Vance said.
"And they found Victoria Sterling's body inside the submerged wreckage of the kitchen."
"Targeting Sarah... they found nothing," Vance revealed.
Mark felt a sudden, ice-cold knot form in his stomach.
"Nothing?" Mark asked, leaning forward.
"No body, no clothing, no sign of her," Vance confirmed.
"The search team believes her body was swept out to the deep ocean trenches by the undercurrent," Vance explained.
"They are declaring her legally deceased."
Mark stared at the thick legal file on the table.
A quiet chill crept down his spine.
"She's dead, Mark," Marcus said from the corner, trying to reassure him.
"No one could survive a drop off those sharp rocks into that freezing water."
May you like
"You're right," Mark whispered softly, looking back at his sleeping daughters.
"No one could."
