Page 51 of Shadows of Recovery

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Exhausted,Tristan sat at the large oak table in the conference room, his fingers drumming lightly on the polished surface. The room was quiet, save for the hum of the fluorescent lights and the distant murmur of voices outside the door. He had been called in for this meeting with little context, but from the tension in the air, he knew it was serious.

Brad entered first, his usual confident stride a bit more subdued. He nodded at Tristan and took a seat across from him, followed closely by Alex, who was flipping through a stack of papers. Last to enter was Ethan, who wore a grim look on his face as he closed the door behind him.

"Thanks for coming, Tristan," Brad began, his voice low. "We know you’d rather be with Sophie, but we’ve got some things we need to fill you in on.”

Tristan raised an eyebrow, leaning forward slightly. "As long as you can do it quickly. I need to get back to Sophie.”

Alex took a deep breath and placed the papers on the table. "We are trying to figure out what happened.”

Brad looked down at his hands. “I let it go too long. Tristan, I’m sorry.”

Tristan rubbed his temples. “Look, if this meeting is going to be about that, I have a better place to be.”

Alex continued, “The Eldon Sect. They’re… well, they are a significant factor in the case we’ve been working on."

Tristan glanced between the three men, noting the seriousness in their expressions. "How significant are we talking?"

Ethan explained, "The Eldon Sect has around five hundred members. They live in a compound—yes, it’s walled—on tribal land. That’s one of the major challenges we’re facing. Because it’s sovereign land, the sect has a degree of autonomy that makes it nearly impossible for outside law enforcement to intervene directly. They have their own rules, their own enforcement, and they don’t take kindly to outsiders trying to impose external authority."

“Whitlock Sr. preaches about the ‘Pure Path,’ a doctrine that blends old-world puritanical beliefs with a twisted sense of divine righteousness. They see themselves as the chosen few, destined to cleanse the world of corruption. Anyone outside their community is viewed as tainted, and they go to great lengths to protect their way of life from external influence."

"That’s the funny part," Alex added. "They grow their own food, have their own educational system, and even their own form of law enforcement within the compound. It’s almost a world unto itself, cut off from the rest of society. But their real estate dealings have brought them millions of dollars, often illegally.”

Ethan nodded. "They believe the world outside is corrupt beyond redemption. They’re waiting for what they call the ‘Great Purification,’ where they believe only the righteous—meaning them—will survive. There’s a strong undercurrent of paranoia in everything they do.”

Tristan absorbed the information, his mind racing. "So, what did they want with Sophie and the hospital?”

Brad exchanged a look with Alex before answering, "During the hospital takeover, my team and I were allowed entry onto the tribal land. The Whitlocks appeared surprised by the situation. Unfortunately, that is where the cooperation ended. We were asked to leave after a few questions.”

He paused. “We think Damon Whitlock acted on his own to gain medical supplies for their clinic on the compound. Apparently, the sect’s doctor was substandard. We believe he wanted Sophie to run it. The women in the sect are obedient and subservient to the men. We believe he felt Sophie was disobedient.”

"He saw her disobedience as a threat," Ethan explained.

“So he almost beat her to death. And he raped and sodomized her. All to gain her obedience to run their clinic.” Tristan swiped his face.

Brad blew out a harsh breath. “I believe he fixated on her for his personally sick reasons. Our investigation has exposed some of his behaviors that may open Damon and the sect to crimes not protected by the tribe. It could bring down the entire sect. The Nahiossitribe lives on the land too, and those kinds of actions run against their beliefs."

A chill ran down Tristan’s spine. "Trace Whitlock is very ill. I don’t think he can fight against Damon. This is bigger than I thought."

"It is," Brad said grimly. "And it’s only going to get more dangerous. We hope Trace will name one of the other sons as his successor, and he will work with us and the tribal council to bring Damon to justice.”

Tristan blew out a breath. “Dealing with Damon may mean the sect will be allowed to continue.”

Ethan leaned forward, his eyes locked on Tristan’s. "Yes. That’s why we needed to tell you. The Eldon Sect isn’t just a group of misguided people. They’re a well-organized, well-funded operation with a lot to lose. We have five sect members in custody. They are all hospitalized in Pierre. We hoped to use them as a bargaining chip, but they appear to have little knowledge of the takeover. They were stationed on the third floor. They may sacrifice Damon to protect the sect. Or they may fight hard. We need to be prepared for whatever they might throw at us."

Tristan nodded slowly. “I want protection for Sophie.”

“There is already someone in the ICU,” Brad said.

"There’s another issue we need to address," Alex said, his tone more serious. "We’ve figured out how Damon and his men got past the police.”

Tristan’s brow furrowed in confusion. "How did they manage that?"

"Damon is part of the leadership of the sect," Ethan explained. "They’ve got resources that go beyond what we initially understood. When Damon’s men needed to bypass the police, the Eldon Sect provided them with access from the old tunnel through a back road that runs through the tribal land. Because of their sovereign status, local law enforcement had no jurisdiction to patrol that area, and Damon exploited that loophole."

Brad sighed, his expression grim. "It was a calculated move. They knew exactly how to use their location and status to their advantage, and it’s clear they’re willing to go to any lengths to protect their interests."

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