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Chapter 12
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Vivian waited patiently in the back seat of Sara's car. She was glad to know that the bug she'd planted in the conference room was working. However, it was disconcerting that she had failed. She never failed, and tonight she'd make up for it.
She saw the woman she'd failed to recognize as Sara leave the building and head for the car, looking nervously over her shoulder. Vivian crouched down, making herself temporarily invisible. When the door closed and the key was inserted in the ignition, Vivian popped up and put a gun to the ski mask.
"You know, I'm a little disappointed in you, Sara. I thought you understood me, my mission. But somehow you managed to escape me and that just pissed me off. So now I'm going to let you see what you've been playing with before I kill you. Take off the mask."
She didn't move.
"Take off the mask, Sara!"
The woman took the mask off and turned around with a smile. "I'm not Sara."
Taking advantage of Vivian's momentary shock, Catherine knocked the gun from her hand and whistled out the half-open window. Brass and several other officers suddenly surrounded the car, opened the window and pulled Vivian out.
Catherine got out and looked Vivian in the eye as Brass cuffed her.
"You miscalculated, Vivian. I'm almost disappointed, but I think your God believes in justice being served," she quipped, turning as the rest of the group came out to congratulate her.
When Sara faced Vivian, she was glad the rest of the tem was there for support.
"Just because I understood your 'mission' doesn't mean I agreed with it… You'll get the death penalty for this. Do you realize that?"
Vivian smiled. "God never said that following him would be easy. I am a Christian and therefore I am persecuted. I accept that, and embrace it." She looked at each team member individually. "I must say I'm impressed. You did very well, and I feel honored to have worked with you all. God Bless." With that, she followed Brass to the station.
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"So, Sara, you never told us how you got out," Catherine probed, once they'd found the bug in the conference room and all felt comfortable enough to talk again. The case had shaken them all and they'd needed time to process everything, especially now that it was over. Now they were settled in the conference room, relaxing before the end of shift.
"Well, I couldn't get out of the bedroom, since the door was blocked. So I closeted myself in the bathroom and climbed down the fire escape out the window above my tub. I slipped around the back of the apartment complex and hung out at the 24-hour-a-day diner down the road. Since I almost never sleep, finding a place to stay was never really an issue."
"Well, it sure as hell is now!" Nick pointed out.
"Don't worry. I'll find somewhere to go. It's really no big deal." She sat back to think, for once happy to listen to their chatter.
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