Blue lights strobed through the service corridors. Stella stood with Hunter in a borrowed dressing room, the air thick with other performers’ ghosts. The door held back the chaos.
On a muted monitor, the news cycle had begun. Split screens: her mother’s face, the evidence. The chyron: SHOCK ARREST.
Hunter handed her water. “They want statements. Your mother’s lawyer is here.”
“Croft?”
“With her now.” His hand paused on her shoulder. “You don’t have to do anything tonight.”
Stella drank. The water tasted of plastic. “Freya?”
“Safe house. Extracted.” He lowered his voice. “Elin too. Protective witness. She’ll cooperate.”
Stella nodded. They hadn’t just exposed a crime. They’d dismantled a universe.
A knock. Vance stood in the doorway. “Ms. Shen. A moment.”
THE ROOM OF QUIET
Lin Yaw
