Chapter 18 - A Call in the Night
The final, absolute closure came not with a dramatic explosion, but with a quiet, sterile phone call in the middle of the night.
It was a freezing night in late November. The wind howled against the coastal cliffs.
Daniel’s highly encrypted, private landline in his office began to ring at 2:00 AM.
Daniel slipped silently out of bed, leaving a deeply sleeping Elena wrapped in the warm blankets, and walked down the hall to his dark office.
He picked up the receiver.
"Mr. Vance? This is Warden Miller at the State Women’s Correctional Facility,"
The voice on the other end spoke with a stiff, formal, bureaucratic detachment.
"Yes, Warden. Speak,"
Daniel ordered quietly.
"I am calling to formally inform you that inmate 4092, your mother, passed away in the prison infirmary exactly an hour ago. The cause of death was sudden, massive heart failure."
The silence in the office was absolute. Daniel looked out the massive glass window at the dark, churning, violent ocean below.
"I understand,"
Daniel replied smoothly, his voice betraying absolutely zero emotion.
"Where should we send the remains, sir?"
The warden asked.
"She has no family,"
May you like
Daniel stated coldly, sealing her fate for all of eternity.
"Handle it through the state. Do not contact this number again."
