Chapter 22: Murder

When Marshall heard Olivia mention his daughter, he finally snapped out of it.

"Who... who are you?" he stammered.

"I'm a cop!" Olivia shot back.

Hearing that, Marshall felt a wave of relief and clung to her clothes like a lifeline. Olivia peeked through the curtain and saw William in a brawl with some armed guy. She scooped up Marshall and made a beeline for the door.

"They're getting away! Shoot them, shoot them!" the thug yelled.

Olivia knew there had to be backup outside. She grabbed her gun and chucked a chair towards the door. Gunshots rang out, and the chair exploded into splinters.

Marshall, who'd only seen this kind of stuff in movies, was in total shock. The hospital was a madhouse. Just then, Henry showed up and yelled inside.

"Everyone, get in your rooms! Stay put!" he ordered.

Another thug was closing in on the ward. Olivia shoved Marshall into the bathroom and locked the door.

"Marshall, hang tight. We'll keep you safe. Don't come out!" she urged.

As the door clicked shut, Marshall broke down. He couldn't believe the people he trusted wanted him dead, while the cops he feared were saving his life.

With Marshall secure, Olivia dashed back to the ward, kicked the thug off William, and joined the fight.

William, gasping for air, jumped in to help Olivia subdue the guy. She slapped handcuffs on the thug and used William's cuffs to secure his feet.

But before Olivia could catch her breath, a bullet tore through the ward door, leaving a gaping hole. She and William rushed to the door, but Henry's voice stopped them.

"Protect the witness. Stay put!" Henry shouted.

Olivia figured Henry had eyes on them somehow. She didn't realize there were five thugs, not just one. The ward was a death trap now.

Henry, leaning against the hallway wall with a gun, had already taken a bullet to the shoulder but didn't even flinch.

Five minutes later, the gunfire got even crazier. Olivia pressed against the bathroom door, gun ready. William stayed near the door, too scared to move.

"Police! Drop your weapons and put your hands up!" came the familiar voices of her colleagues.

Hearing them, Olivia dared to peek out. Seeing her team storm in, she finally exhaled in relief.

She opened the bathroom door and found Marshall curled up inside. Olivia pulled him out and handed him to William.

"Keep him safe. I'm going to check things out," she said.

Olivia stepped out with her gun and saw several thugs pinned to the ground. She rushed to the nurse's station.

"Where's Vesper Stevens?" she demanded.

The head nurse, seeing Olivia, quickly replied, "She went home after her shift!"

"Are you the head nurse?" Olivia asked. When she nodded, Olivia pressed on, "Is Vesper from Pinecrest Village?"

The head nurse nodded again. Olivia pulled out her phone. "I need her address. I'm a cop," she said, flashing her badge.

To keep Marshall safe, she hadn't revealed her identity when he was admitted. But she forgot this was a small town where almost everyone was connected. It made sense for someone from Pinecrest Village to be at the hospital.

"What's up with Vesper? Did she do something wrong?" the head nurse asked, looking worried.

"Whether she did or not, that's for the police to figure out. Your operating room is off-limits now. Call other departments for any meds you need," Olivia instructed.

The head nurse quickly got on the phone.

All the thugs were rounded up, with two of them shot and rushed into surgery. After dealing with the chaos, Henry went looking for Olivia, but she was nowhere in sight.

Fuming, Henry grabbed William by the collar. "Where's Olivia? I told you to keep an eye on her. Where is she?"

William looked just as puzzled.

Olivia hadn't gone far. She was back in the previous ward, retrieving some hidden IV equipment.

"Mr. Phillips, what's going on with you guys?" Olivia asked, looking confused.

Seeing Olivia holding an IV drip with a baffled expression, Henry felt a surge of frustration. "What were you doing?" he demanded.

Olivia shook the IV equipment. "This is evidence. I didn't want anyone to mess with it, so I went to get it."

Then she noticed the blood on Henry's arm. "Mr. Phillips, you're hurt!" she exclaimed.

She handed the evidence to William and dragged Henry to the emergency room. The bullet had grazed his arm, causing significant bleeding, but Henry hadn't said a word, which made Olivia furious.

"You always preach about safety, Mr. Phillips. But you don't even take care of yourself. If I hadn't seen it, you could've bled out!" Olivia scolded.

"It's just a scratch, nothing to fuss about," Henry replied.

Olivia's anger flared. "Who do you think you are, some kind of superhero?" she snapped.

She glared at Henry and went to arrange for his hospitalization, but Henry stopped her. "No need. Just come in daily for anti-inflammatory shots," he insisted. Clearly, this wasn't his first rodeo.

"No way. You need to be hospitalized for two days for observation. Mr. Phillips, this is about your health, so you don't get the final say! Otherwise, I'll call Mr. White to handle you!" Olivia threatened.

Henry finally agreed to be hospitalized, sharing a room with Marshall.

"Mr. Phillips, can you check on my daughter? I'm worried they might go after her!" Marshall asked, his voice trembling.

Henry and Olivia exchanged a glance. "Your daughter has been taken to Emerald City. She should be on the train now," Henry reassured him.

After learning about the situation in Pinecrest Village, Henry had called in police from Emerald City to avoid any local cops who might be in on the crime. This way, he could ensure the safety of witnesses like Marshall.

Olivia was about to ask something when William burst in.

"Mr. Phillips, bad news. Soren committed suicide at the police station. He's dead!" William reported, breathless.

Henry jumped out of bed immediately. Olivia left William to protect Marshall and rushed out with Henry.

Olivia drove like a bat out of hell to the police station. When they arrived, the coroner was just coming out.

"Suicide or murder?" Henry asked, his voice tense.

The coroner removed his mask and said gravely, "It's confirmed as a suicide. He hung himself with his own shirt from the fence and died of asphyxiation. While he clearly suffocated, we need to check for any drug involvement. Unfortunately, our small town doesn't have the facilities for that, so we'll need to send it to the state lab."