Chapter 8 : Closure.
The following day, Stillman sent two of his detectives, Vera and Jeffries, interrogating the suspect n°1, Doctor John Richmond, surgeon at St John Hospital in Philadelphia.
The two arrived at the address they had found, and what they saw was a huge mansion, probably inherited from a rich family, because, even if a surgeon earned a lot of money, he wouldn't be able to buy such a house.
They rang at the door and it was a maid who opened the door.
-Is Mr Richmond home? Vera tried to say as politely as he could.
-He's just back from work, you're lucky. May I ask you who you are? The maid was totally unaware of what the detectives could want with him.
-Detectives Vera and Jeffries, Philadelphia PD.
-I'll lead you to him.
They entered the house and they found themselves in a huge entry hall in marble, they then climbed the stairs, in marble too and they finally arrived in front of the mahogany door of the office.
-Mr Richmond, two detectives want to see you.
-Thanks Maria. You can leave us.
-Nice house, Doctor, I didn't know surgeons were that well paid.
-We're here about the murders that happened in St John Hospital's nursery.
Jeffries tried to be as well educated as he could, but coming with Vera wasn't the best to interrogate that kind of man.
-I heard about these deaths, such a horrible story. I can't even imagine how desperate the families were.
-We have a suspect, now, thanks to the surveillance cameras. Would you like to know who it is? Jeffries asked him.
-Of course, I want to know who did that.
-Doctor Richmond, you're under arrest for the murders of 25 newborns in the hospital's nursery.
They brought him back to the station where Stillman asked to perform the interrogation with Lilly, even if it was risky, not knowing how she would react.
-Lilly? Stillman called her.
-Yes, boss, what's up?
-You'll come with me to question suspect n°1, but no hitting, ok?
-Ok.
They both sat down in the interrogation room, waiting for Richmond to be brought. Vera finally arrived with a handcuffed Richmond who was claiming his innocence.
-We know you killed them, the video shows it, what we want to know now is why?
-Why? They couldn't exist, not while my wife and I weren't even able to have one, we tried everything, nothing worked and seeing these smiling young mothers holding their kid was just too much. Some of these girls weren't even adults, they didn't deserve a child!
That was too much for Lilly, she couldn't take that anymore.
-Obviously, you don't know how it's like to lose a child who was the chance for you to prove that you weren't only a piece of trash, that you could do something really amazing! It ruined my life at the time and that's one of the reasons I became a cop, to find and convict bastards like you!
Now, Lilly was shouting and Stillman had to do something to impede from making a mistake that could cost her career, so he got up and took her out of the room. He then asked for Richmond to be taken to a cell.
-Lilly, stop it! We have the truth now! You're giving closure to all these families, including you; I'm proud of you. Now, go home and take some sleep. We'll see you tomorrow?
-Yeah, of course.
That night, before going to bed, Lilly took the box from her closet and the picture from the cupboard, she then looked again through all that and put the picture on her nightstand.
She decided that it was time to move on with her life and to admit what had happened but without trying to forget it.
This could have been the last chapter but I decided I'd write an epilogue, just so Lilly would be how I'd want to see her.