Not far away, Claire Lynch was walking toward the exit of the courtyard, her head hung low. Tears blurred her vision, hot and stinging against her cheeks.
"Mom... I lost," she whispered, her voice choking with grief. "I lost the formula. I lost everything. I’m sorry..."
She bit her lip until she tasted copper. The regret was a physical weight on her shoulders, crushing her. She blamed herself for being weak, for falling into Ken Gould’s trap, for trusting a reckless ex-convict like Jack Brooks. She blamed the heavens for being unfair.
She waited for the sound of bones breaking. She waited for Jack's scream. She waited for the triumphant laughter of Ken Gould.
But it didn't come.
Instead, the noisy mockery behind her abruptly ceased. The courtyard fell into a silence so profound it was
