Chapter 9 - THE FALL
The helicopter was three miles from St. Mary's when the engine began to lose power.
Chris lowered the nose and searched for a landing area. Below them stretched dark neighborhoods, power lines, and rain-slick roads.
"Fuel line is cut," he said. "We have two minutes, maybe less."
Sarah's breathing weakened.
James pressed the oxygen mask to her face. "She doesn't have two minutes."
The hospital roof came into view beyond the highway.
Chris aimed for the helipad.
The engine coughed.
The aircraft dropped hard enough to lift everyone from their seats. Luke screamed. Ellis braced Sarah's stretcher with his body.
"Hold on!" Chris shouted.
They cleared the hospital wall by inches.
The landing gear struck the helipad, bounced, and collapsed. The helicopter spun across the roof, showering sparks, before slamming against a concrete barrier.
For several seconds, no one moved.
Then James heard Sarah breathe.
He kicked open the damaged door and carried her toward the rooftop entrance. Hospital staff rushed up the stairs, led by the same young ER nurse in blue scrubs.
She stopped when she saw Hale's blood on James's jacket.
James saw fear in her face.
"Where is your father?" she asked.
"Alive. In custody."
She stepped backward.
Ellis raised his weapon. "Hands where I can see them."
The nurse ran.
She reached the stairwell before Chris caught her. Inside her pocket, investigators later found a syringe filled with potassium chloride and an access card for the surgical floor.
She had been waiting to finish what her father started.
Sarah was taken directly to surgery.
James watched the doors close and felt the strength leave his body. He sat on the floor, soaked in rain, blood, and lake water.
Luke sat beside him.
"Is my dad dead?" the boy asked.
James could not lie.
"I don't know."
Federal agents arrived before dawn. Reed and Hale were transferred under guard. Haven House was secured. The files in Emily's notebook and flash drive were copied to multiple agencies and news organizations so no single official could bury them.
The evidence revealed twenty-six illegal placements, nine falsified deaths, and a network reaching three states.
At 5:18 a.m., the surgeon entered the waiting room.
James stood too quickly and nearly fell.
"Sarah survived," the surgeon said. "The blade missed major organs, but she lost significant blood. The next twenty-four hours are critical."
James covered his face.
Chris placed one hand on his shoulder.
For the first time that night, James allowed himself to cry.
An hour later, a state rescue team called from Blackwater Lake.
They had found Daniel alive beneath the boathouse dock, caught in submerged rope. His pulse was weak. He had been transported to another hospital under arrest.
Luke closed his eyes in relief.
James felt something more complicated.
Daniel would live.
Which meant he would have to answer for everything.
When Sarah woke that afternoon, James sat beside her bed. She looked smaller beneath the blankets, but her eyes were clear.
"Did you find Mom's letter?" she asked.
"Yes."
"I wasn't supposed to read the notebook."
"You did nothing wrong."
"Uncle Daniel said he would help me."
James took her hand.
"He should have."
Sarah looked toward the doorway, suddenly afraid.
A man stood outside her room wearing a federal badge.
Chris moved in front of him.
The agent held up a sealed envelope.
"Mr. Carter," he said. "We found another recording on your wife's flash drive. It was made the night she died."
May you like
James stared at the envelope.
The truth was not finished with him yet.
