28. Chapter 28 Sabrina
Chapter 28: Sabrina
S abrina clung to Freddy as the warehouse erupted into chaos. Police swarmed the area, their voices echoing off the metal walls. She watched, heart pounding, as officers handcuffed Ellie and led her away. The sight of Josh Jr.’s motionless body on the concrete floor made her stomach churn.
Sabrina kept her arms wrapped tightly around Freddy, drawing comfort from his solid presence as an officer approached Josh Jr.’s still form on the cold concrete floor. Sabrina held her breath as he knelt down, pressing fingers against Josh’s neck. The seconds stretched into an eternity. When the officer looked up at his colleagues and shook his head, Sabrina’s stomach dropped.
Sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder until an ambulance screeched to a halt outside. Paramedics rushed in, their gear clanking as they moved. One of them repeated the officer’s check, his movements efficient and practiced. Sabrina watched, her throat tight, as he too shook his head.
“We need to preserve the scene for forensics,” an officer told the paramedic. “The ME will want to see this. Maybe she can tell the cause of death.”
The paramedic stood. “It almost looks like a heart attack, but with whatever these are,” he held up a couple of the bots, “we can’t do anything but speculate.”
“Yeah, this should be an interesting autopsy,” the officer agreed before turning to greet to new arrivals in dress clothes with their badges hanging around their necks. “Detectives, this one’s DOA, but we don’t have COD.” He continued to share information, but Sabrina’s focus was pulled back to Freddy as he tensed beside her.
“It’ll be okay,” he said as if speaking to himself.
But that was when it hit Sabrina. She was responsible for Josh’s death. She’d killed him, and she’d used Taylor Industries technology to do it. She squeezed Freddy’s hand, unsure if she was offering comfort or seeking it. She couldn’t help but feel a mix of relief and guilt. She turned to Freddy, seeing her own conflicted emotions mirrored in his eyes.
“I... I didn’t mean for this to happen,” she whispered, her voice cracking. Freddy’s arm tightened around her waist, anchoring her as the world spun.
An officer approached, notepad in hand. “Ma’am, we need to take your statement.”
Sabrina swallowed hard, her throat dry. She briefly considered requesting a lawyer, but the thought dissipated as quickly as it had formed. She had no legal representation to call upon. A knot tightened in her stomach as she grappled with what to disclose. Every plausible response seemed to unravel into further complications. Perhaps silence would be her safest recourse, allowing her to gather her wits before uttering words that could potentially incriminate her.
The officer’s expectant gaze bore into her, demanding an account of events. Sabrina’s throat constricted further as indecision clouded her judgment, leaving her to navigate this treacherous path alone.
The band of Freddy’s arms around her squeezed through her internal panic.
“It’s okay. Let me have your phone, and I’ll make a few calls. We’ll get a lawyer here, just in case,” Freddy said.
One of the paramedics joined their huddle. “Sir, we need to check you out.”
Freddy’s gaze bore through Sabrina, like he was searching her soul. His eyes never left her, even as he responded. “I need a few minutes first. I’ll come find you in a little while.”
Then Sabrina felt his fingers on her ass as he pulled her phone from her back pocket. He handed it to her to unlock but turned to the detective to speak.
“I’m sure you understand, given everything that happened as she rescued me and saved my life, that she’d like to wait for her attorney before making a statement or answering any questions.”
“Of course, but I’m sure you understand that I’ll need to stay here with her until she’s ready to discuss the events.” Then the detective turned to Sabrina with a sickly sweet smile. “I’d be happy to give you a ride to the station so you can wait in the air conditioning with a cup of coffee.”
Yeah, Sabrina wasn’t that dumb. “I’ll stay here, thanks.”
Freddy had connected his first call and turned away from them to speak into the phone, but he still kept one hand on the small of Sabrina’s back with his thumb tucked into the waistband of her pants.
The detective cast a glance toward Freddy as he said to Sabrina, “Be sure he gets your lawyer here before we’re done processing the scene. After that, we all move to the station.”
“I understand,” Sabrina said before turning her back to him.
Sabrina focused on keeping her breathing steady as she watched Nathan and Katrina Taylor stride into the warehouse, their faces etched with concern. Katrina immediately wrapped her arms around her son, holding him tight as if afraid he might disappear. Nathan placed a comforting hand on Freddy’s shoulder, his eyes scanning his son for any visible injuries.
“Are you alright, son?” Nathan asked, his voice thick with emotion. “We were so worried.”
Freddy returned his parents’ embrace, his body relaxing slightly in their presence. “I’m okay, Mom, Dad. Just a little shaken up.”
Katrina pulled back, her hands still gripping Freddy’s arms. “Why haven’t you let the paramedics check you out? You could be hurt.”
Freddy shook his head, his gaze shifting to Sabrina. “I’m more concerned about Sabrina right now. I need to make sure she’s okay.”
Nathan followed his son’s gaze, his expression softening as he took in Sabrina’s tense posture. “Don’t worry, son. Our lawyer is on the way. She should be here in the next few minutes to help sort everything out. You know how Heather is. She knows exactly how to handle things for us.”
The way they spoke of their lawyer, rather than hers, sent a chill down Sabrina’s spine. Were they only looking out for themselves? For Freddy? Where did that leave her?
“Fill us in on all the details?” Katrina asked.
Freddy guided them to a quiet corner, away from the bustling officers and paramedics. Nathan’s gaze fixed on Sabrina, his expression unreadable. “What happened?” His tone was measured, but Sabrina couldn’t shake the feeling that he was assessing her, weighing her words against the potential consequences for his family.
She hesitated, her mouth dry. How much could she reveal without jeopardizing her own future? Freddy’s hand found hers, his fingers interlacing with her own. “She saved my life, Dad.” His words were firm, leaving no room for doubt.
Katrina’s eyes widened with surprise before she turned to her husband. “Nathan, do not upset her.” Then she looked at Sabrina. “Oh honey, I’ll never be able to express enough gratitude for what you’ve done.” Her voice was warm, genuine. “Whatever you need, we’re here for you. Legal fees, support, anything at all. You’re part of this family now, and we protect our own. If Nathan sounds gruff, please know it’s only because he’s thinking through a thousand options that all have the same goal–we’ll not let anything bad happen to you because you were brave and quick enough to save our son.”
Sabrina’s throat tightened, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. Family. It felt like family, but for once, she was a part of it. The feelings were aimed at her. Their unwavering support caught her off guard, a stark contrast to the uncertainty that had plagued her before. Freddy’s grip on her hand tightened, a silent reassurance that she wasn’t alone.
Before she could explain how she’d used the bots new code that allowed them to follow subjective commands, the lawyer arrived in jeans and t-shirt with a sparkly, rainbow-horned unicorn on the front. In her hands was a Burberry briefcase Sabrina recognized from her dream scrolling online. The contrast between the woman’s well-worn sneakers and casual attire and her high-end bag and brisque confidence was jarring.
Striding right up to Sabrina and holding out her hand, the woman introduced herself, “Hi, you must be Sabrina. I’m Heather Goodwin. Did I hear correctly that you’re waiting for me before speaking to the police?”
Sabrina just nodded her agreement. She wanted to be that self-assured. Most of the time, she liked to think she came close, but today had been… exhausting. And it wasn’t done yet. Sabrina steeled herself for everything she knew they had to get through before she could call it a day and collapse on her couch in front of a mindless video game. “Yes, I’m Sabrina.” She shook Ms. Goodwin’s hand. “Thank you for coming out here.”
“Oh, of course. Now, tell me what happened. All of it. Then we’ll decide on the best course of action. We can step away from everyone and go chat in my car if you’d like.”
The weight pressing down on Sabrina lifted significantly. Heather was here for her. She was offering to step away from the Taylors and focus just on Sabrina. “That’s incredibly tempting, but honestly, I’m, uh…” She squeezed Freddy’s hand.
“My parents haven’t heard the story yet, either,” Freddy volunteered. Then he turned to face Sabrina and cupped her cheek with his free hand. “If it’s okay with you, we could tell all three of them together and fill in the gaps for each other?”
It was exactly what Sabrina wanted, so Heather glanced around, declared the corner clear enough for privacy and told Sabrina to start wherever she’d like. There were several crates and boxes stashed there, and Sabrina was happy to find a seat beside Freddy.
Feeling so many eyes on her blew open the filter between Sabrina’s mind and mouth. She blurted the part that had been playing on a loop since she saw Josh lying perfectly still on the warehouse floor.
“I stole the bots from Taylor Industries. Well, technically they belong to Dynamic Solutions, so I stole bots from Dynamic Solutions, but I used Taylor Industries’ software, so I guess I stole that, too. I used them to save Freddy. I swear. They weren’t supposed to kill anyone. I just wanted them to protect Freddy and distract Ellie and Josh. I never wanted anyone to get hurt, let alone die. I mean, I guess we need to add some code about them not doing whatever they did that killed Josh, but I don’t even know what that was, and I will add that code. If I’m not fired, which I would understand. Because Josh is dead, and I didn’t want that to happen.”
The words tumbled out, each one feeling like a nail in her own coffin. She’d saved Freddy, but at what cost? A man was dead. Her career was over. Prison loomed on the horizon. She yanked her hand away from Freddy’s and covered her face to hide her tears. If only she could disappear.