Tilly nodded and did it without comment.
A block later, “If you stay right, you’ll avoid the hill.”
Tilly stayed right.
They hit a patch of uneven snow anyway, the car jolting hard enough to rattle the camera case in the back. Something metallic clinked once and settled.
Savannah’s hand caught the door. “Can you not do that?”
Tilly’s jaw tightened. “Do what?”
“Hit every pothole in Massachusetts?”
“I didn’t hit every pothole.”
“You’re trying.”
Tilly’s eyes flicked toward her before they could stop themself. “If I were trying, you’d know.”
Savannah inhaled sharply, breath cutting off halfway. “Right. Because everything you do is intentional.”
That landed like a slap.
Tilly looked back at the road. “I’m not doing this with you right now.”
“Great,” Savannah muttered. “We agree.”
They drove in brittle silence the rest of the way. Savannah corrected directions once more, then stopped speaking altogether. Her breathing went shallow, clipped, like she was holding back words that had teeth. The heater hummed too loudly in the quiet.
At the courthouse, Savannah got out without waiting. She crossed the steps too fast, boots skidding slightly before shecaught herself. She squared her shoulders and pulled her coat tighter like none of it had happened.
Tilly followed, already setting up shots. Wide of the building. Seal over the entrance. Flag snapping in the wind. Savannah paced just off to the side, murmuring phrasing under her breath, stopping herself mid-sentence, starting again.
“No,” she said once, shaking her head. “That sounds definitive.”
Tilly adjusted framing and kept filming.
Savannah stepped into place, breath visible now. She looked at Tilly. Just once.
“Ready.”
Tilly lifted the camera. “Rolling.”
Savannah squared herself and looked into the lens.
“Breaking news this afternoon on a case WDTV has been following since early fall.”
She didn’t rush it.
“Prosecutors have reduced charges in the Medford homicide investigation, announcing today that the original homicide charge against the suspect has been lowered to a lesser offense following a review of new evidence.”
Her voice stayed level. Controlled.
“The case first drew attention earlier this fall after investigators alleged the suspect acted alone in a fatal incident. From the beginning, defense attorneys argued the situation was more complex, claiming their client had been coerced and impaired at the time of the crime.”
No emphasis. No judgment.
“Those claims were disputed in the initial stages of the investigation, but today’s announcement signals a shift in how prosecutors are now framing the case and its timeline. Officials emphasized the investigation remains ongoing and that the revised charge reflects procedure, not a final determination.”
