“You must realize talking about this won’t help anyone,” Mr. Thorpe said, softening his tone just a bit in a way that felt very deliberate. “The best thing you can do is return to school and continue with your life.”

The brown-suited man took his phone from his pocket and started typing something in. He walked out of the room, still typing away.

“Constable Dene,” Mr. Thorpe said as he straightened up, “we’ll be in touch, of course. Your superiors are very pleased with your performance in this matter. Her Majesty’s government thanks you both.”

He didn’t waste any more time on good-byes. He was gone as quickly as he had arrived.

“What just happened?” I asked.

Stephen pulled a chair over to my bedside and sat down.

“The cleanup is starting. They have to create a story the public can handle. The panic has to end. All the loose ends have to be tied.”

“And I can never tell anyone?”

“That’s the thing about what we do . . . We can’t tell anyone. It would simply seem insane.”

For some reason, this is what did it. This is what made all the fears of the last days and the last hours come to the surface. I let out a sob. It was so loud and sudden that Stephen actually startled and stood up. I began crying uncontrollably, heaving. I don’t think he knew what to do for a moment, it was such an onslaught.

“It’s all right,” he said, putting his hand on my arm and squeezing a bit. “It’s over now. It’s over.”

My wailing drew the attention of the nurse, who snapped the curtain back.

“All right?” she asked.

“Can you do something to make her comfortable?” he said.

“Are you finished with your questions?”

“We’re done,” he said.

“It’s been four hours since her last dose, so that’s fine. Give me a moment.”

The nurse went away for a moment, returning with a syringe. She injected its contents into a bit of tubing coming off my IV line. I felt a tiny rush of something cool coming into my vein. I took a few more sips of the water, gagging and coughing a bit before I could get them down like a normal person.

“Nasty wound,” the nurse said quietly. “I hope you catch whoever did that.”

“We did,” Stephen said.

After a minute or two, I felt myself slowly calming, and I had a strong desire to close my eyes. The tears were still running down my face, but I was quiet. Stephen kept his hand on my arm.