The hospital room was still humming with the weight of what they’d seen—the grainy footage replaying in all their minds like a ghost refusing to leave. Arthur didn’t waste a second. Before dawn even touched the parking lot, he was already outside, phone pressed to his ear, rain soaking into his collar as he spoke with clipped authority.
“I’m submitting footage anonymously,” he told the officer on the line. “If that gets compromised, we’ll know the rot goes deeper than a few bad actors.”
He ended the call and exhaled, breath fogging in the cold air. Behind him, Julia wheeled Brandon out in a chair, ignoring every nurse’s attempt to insist he stay a few more hours.
“We’re taking him home,” she said as Arthur approached. “Hospital walls won’t protect him.”
Arthur nodded. “Police have the
