The Bad Daughter

aya arrived at Sarah's desk with a stack of files, her arms trembling slightly under their weight.

"These are all the cases John has handled in the past year," she said, her voice tinged with worry. Sarah looked at the pile and sighed heavily, her shoulders drooping slightly. The sheer number of files was a daunting sight.

"Tick, tock, Maya," Sarah muttered under her breath. "We don't have time to let this case grow cold, it not a simple case, it is a serial killing case."

Before she could dive into the files, a familiar yet unwelcome voice broke through the office's tense atmosphere.

"Excuse me… Ms. Sarah Blake?"

Sarah glanced up sharply, her face hardening instantly as she locked eyes with Laura Smith standing at the doorway, shifting awkwardly. The air grew heavier as Laura stepped inside.

"Why are you here?" Sarah snapped, her voice icy. She didn't wait for Laura to respond. "If you're here to see John, forget it. You're not meeting him."

Laura ignored her tone and walked further in, her eyes darting around. "I was told I'm… summoned here. To the station."

for what? Sarah asked sharply

shouldn't you know it better than me who called me here? Laura responded

Sarah's head turned around to her team. "Who called her?" she demanded, her voice cutting through the room like a blade.

Silence.

"No one?" Sarah's tone was a warning.

Maya… where is Maya??? Sarah asked

Rob a junior investigator responded to her, "maam she went to take more files…"

She returned her gaze to Laura, her eyes narrowing. "Well, Ms. Smith, it must've been a mistake. You should—"

Then suddenly sarah while thinking something said , "you are already here. Why not talk now?"

Sarah sighed deeply, her irritation evident. "Fine. Rob, set her up in the interrogation room. I'll deal with her."

Sarah entered the room, her eyes scanning Laura coldly. She placed a recorder on the table and flipped through her notes without looking at Laura.

"Ms. Laura Smith," Sarah began, her voice low and measured, "is that your real name?"

Laura blinked, her confusion evident. "Of course, it is."

"A year ago, you were involved in a chemical accident at your university. Correct?"

Laura's expression hardened. "Yes."

"Aren't you a business graduate?" Sarah asked, her tone almost mocking.

"I am," Laura answered tersely.

"Then what does a chemical accident have to do with you?"

"I'm also a biochemist," Laura said, sitting straighter. "I have a dual degree."

"And you were accused of causing the accident?"

Laura's jaw clenched. "Yes, but I wasn't the culprit."

Sarah leaned forward slightly, her piercing eyes locked onto Laura's. I didn't dsy you were the culprit!

Laura seemed irritated but it was just beginning.

"Then who was the culprit?"

Laura's lips parted as if to answer, but she stopped. Her voice, when it came, was calm but steely. "That case is closed."

Sarah let out a humorless laugh. "That's not your call to make."

Laura's expression shifted, her eyes narrowing. "Do you have a warrant for this questioning?"

Sarah's tone dropped, deadly and cold, and with a smirk she said "I don't need one...I have the authority to question anyone without any warrant and for you? i can even detain you and no one will question me ... "

At this point Sarah seemed pretty arrogant as she said this without a speck of humanity ... right now she didn't want to solve the case but instead take down the women who took away her love her husband ...

Laura's face flushed with anger. She opened her mouth to retort when the door burst open, and Maya rushed in, her face pale, clutching a file.

"Ms. Blake!"

"What now, Maya?" Sarah said through gritted teeth, her frustration mounting.

"Ma'am," Maya's voice trembled. "It's… it's John. He's…" She struggled for words, tears brimming in her eyes. "He's not responding."

What do you mean he is not responding? And without waiting for an answer ran out of the room.

the file fell from maya's hand. She looked back at laura. There gaze met. The stare had questions and answers and without saying anything maya ran out....

Sarah sprinted through the dimly lit hallway, her breath coming in short bursts, Maya trailing behind her. She burst into John's cell. Her heart plummeting cold sweat ran her over.

John was slumped in his chair, his head tilted unnaturally to the side. His skin was pale, and his chest was still. No sign of struggle. No wounds. Just… stillness.

"John!" Sarah screamed, her voice cracking as she rushed to him. She shook his shoulders, desperately searching for a pulse. Nothing.

The room swirled around her. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the cold floor. Her hands trembled as she stared at John's lifeless body.

Sarah awoke to the faint beeping of monitors and the cold sting of an IV in her arm. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she turned her head to see Maya sitting nearby, her face etched with worry.

"John…" Sarah's voice was hoarse, barely a whisper.

Maya's expression darkened. "He's gone."

"No," Sarah said, shaking her head weakly. She tried to sit up, but her body betrayed her, collapsing back onto the pillows. "He… can't be…"

"Sarah, stop," Maya said firmly, holding her down. "You've pushed yourself too hard. Now this…"

Tears streamed down Sarah's face, and she let out a guttural sob. "I'm losing everything, Maya! Everything! What did I do wrong?"

Maya pulled her into a tight embrace, patting her back gently. "You didn't do anything wrong, Sarah. But you're crying over a man who betrayed you. Who didn't deserve your tears."

"But Maya… he was still…"

"What, Sarah?" Maya snapped, her voice breaking. "What was he? Faithful? Honest? No, he wasn't. Stop destroying yourself for him."

Sarah wiped her tears and looked at Maya, her expression hardening. "Where's Laura?"

Maya hesitated. "She… she escaped. Took two files with her."

Sarah's blood ran cold. "What files?"

"One was the case file you left on the table. The other… the chemical accident file."

Sarah's breath hitched. "Get a warrant. Find her. I want her and those files back in 24 hours."

And then Sarah under the influence of the sedatives again fell unconscious.

Maya stepped out, closing the door gently behind her. She leaned against it, her shoulders heaving as she let out a shaky breath. A sly smile curled on her lips, one she quickly concealed with her hand.

At last, she sighed deeply, composed herself, and strode purposefully toward the elevator, a strange glint in her eyes.