Part 1Forgive the Killer

On the country's most popular live television show, if a death row inmate received forgiveness from the victim's family, they would not be executed.

The camera focused on a young man behind a set of steel bars.

"Vance Hester. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Committed six murders in six months. Currently awaiting execution."

The host turned toward the audience. "Our producers contacted the families of every victim in the hope that they might be willing to give him a second chance."

But all six families refused to forgive him. They demanded that he pay for his crimes with his life.

As the tension mounted, Greyson Reynolds, the eldest son of the Reynolds family and a special guest on the show, spoke calmly, "Letting your emotions dictate your decisions is ridiculous. What good does killing him do? It won't bring anyone back. You might as well be the bigger person and show some mercy."

He paused before adding, "Besides, there's always more to the story. Are we really supposed to believe the victims were completely innocent?"

Beside him, Melanie Reynolds wore an expression of profound sympathy. "Everyone makes mistakes. How can we condemn someone to death over a single mistake?"

* * *

Grant Reynolds nodded, his voice steady. "The purpose of our justice system should be rehabilitation. I support abolishing capital penalty."

Applause suddenly rang out from the stage.

Vance Hester whistled and clapped, laughing loudly. "Well said!"

He turned to the host, his eyes gleaming. "I want to turn myself in. I actually killed one more person, and her family happens to be here today."

Panic swept through the audience.

Vance raised his hand and pointed directly at the three members of the Reynolds family, excitement in his voice.

"The last person I killed was your daughter. So, can you forgive me?"

...

The room fell silent.

Everyone stared in disbelief at Vance and the Reynolds family.

A few seconds later, someone in the audience finally snapped out of it. "Call the police! Someone call 911!"

The host fumbled for his phone as chaos erupted around them.

Greyson Reynolds was the first to his feet, his face livid. "What the hell are you talking about? My sister is perfectly fine. Stop spewing this garbage!"

Melanie Reynolds gripped the armrest, her voice sharp with anger. "We were just defending you, and this is how you repay us? By trying to frighten us?"

Vance cocked his head. "You don't believe me? Fine. I'll tell you exactly what happened."

He launched into a vivid deion. "I caught her off guard, taped her mouth shut, then grabbed her from behind, wrapped my arm around her neck, and dragged her into my car......"

He drew in a deep breath, relishing the memory. "You should've seen how hard she fought. It was incredible."

Before Vance could finish, all the color drained from Melanie's face. "Serena! My Serena!"

Her body went limp, and she collapsed sideways.

Grant caught her, panic written all over his face. "Greyson, call your sister! Now!"

Greyson's fingers had gone ice-cold. His earlier composure was nowhere to be seen. With trembling hands, he unlocked his phone and dialed the number he knew by heart.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

No answer.

The three Reynoldses felt their hearts sink.

Greyson nearly lost his balance, regret flooding his face. "I never should've agreed to let Serena take that graduation trip by herself......"

Just then, his phone rang. Serena was calling him back.

Greyson answered almost instantly. "Serena!"

Her lazy voice came through the phone. "Greyson, I was in the shower. I left my phone outside. Why'd you call?"

Greyson finally released the breath he'd been holding. "Serena, are you okay?"

She sounded baffled. "Why wouldn't I be? Greyson, I've only been gone a week. You're seriously worrying way too much."

Before he could respond, Serena continued, "Okay, I'm going to bed. I have to get up early tomorrow to watch the sunrise!"

Hearing the playful note in his sister's voice, Greyson finally relaxed.

Melanie slowly came around as well. She glared furiously at Vance through the steel bars. "You heard her. My daughter is perfectly fine! You deliberately said those horrible things just to scare us!"

Grant's face was equally grim. "You have some nerve lying to our faces. Who put you up to this?"

Faced with the Reynolds family's hostile stares, Vance merely broke into a wide grin. "Who said I killed your adopted daughter?"

The overhead stage lights cast shifting shadows across his face.

"Did you forget you have another daughter? Your biological daughter, Maren Reynolds?"