Chapter 4 - The Transfer
By midnight, the county safety facility felt less like a hospital and more like a fortress.
My room was tucked away on a secure, restricted-access floor reserved for high-risk witnesses. Two female state troopers sat quietly in the hallway outside, their presence a solid, immovable wall keeping the outside world at bay. The window beside my bed looked out over the glittering skyline of downtown Houston, far away from the rotting wooden porch and the patchy dirt yard of the rental house in the suburbs.
A gentle tap sounded on the door, and a woman in a crisp gray pantsuit entered carrying a clipboard and a warm cup of herbal tea.
“Hello, Elena. I’m Sarah Jenkins, the lead state victim advocate assigned to your file,” she said, her voice soothing and professional. She pulled a chair up beside the bed and sat down without rushing me. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m breathing,” I answered honestly, wrapping my cold hands around the warm ceramic mug. “That’s about all.”
Sarah nodded sympathetically, turning a page on her clipboard. “I want you to know that the district attorney’s office has already reviewed the audio recordings provided by Sergeant Brooks. They are airtight. Marcus and Martha were arraigned two hours ago before a midnight magistrate. Bail was denied due to flight risk and the severity of the charges.”
A cold, dark satisfaction flickered through my veins, but it was quickly overshadowed by a heavy, numbing exhaustion. “What happens to the house? The rental lease?”
“The police executed a search warrant on the property three hours ago,” Sarah said softly. “They recovered your personal belongings, your identification documents, and the medical records Martha tried to hide in the kitchen floorboards. That house is a crime scene now, Elena. You are never going back there.”
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“Good,” I whispered, staring into the dark reflection of the window glass. “I never want to see those walls again.”
“There’s one more thing,” Sarah added, hesitating for a fraction of a second. “Your mother-in-law’s attorney has already filed a motion claiming that you consented to the physical discipline under cultural custom exemptions.”
