Chapter 14 - The Arrival of Law
Chloe collapsed onto the wet grass near the front driveway, her strength finally giving out. The cold rain beat mercilessly against her face, but she held the plastic-wrapped folder against her chest as if her very life depended on it.
Three local sheriff's cruisers tore through the open gates, gravel spitting violently from their tires as they skidded to a halt in a wide semi-circle around the front courtyard. The bright white searchlights atop the cruisers swept across the dark grounds, instantly illuminating the horrific scene on the flagstone patio: Arthur Vance's broken body, lying twisted and still in the crimson-stained rain.
""Sheriff's department! Nobody move!"" a loud, booming voice commanded over a cruiser's megaphone.
Doors slammed open. Deputized officers drew their sidearms, moving with tactical precision across the lawn.
From the shadows of the lawn, Susan stumbled out, her hands still frantically wiping at her burning, chemically blinded eyes. Her silk blouse was torn to shreds, her face streaked with dirt, blood, and fertilizer. Seeing the police lights, she dropped to her knees in the driveway, instantly transforming her agony into hysterical wailing.
""Help me! Please, help me!"" Susan screamed, waving her arms toward the deputies. ""She went crazy! Chloe pushed her father out the window! She attacked me with acid! She tried to kill us both!""
Deputy Miller, an older officer who had known Eleanor since childhood, cautiously approached Susan, gun lowered but alert. ""Ma'am, keep your hands where I can see them! Stay down!""
""Arrest her!"" Susan sobbed pointing a trembling, dirt-caked finger toward where Chloe lay on the grass. ""She murdered Arthur! Check the attic! She shoved him!""
Chloe didn't shout. She didn't scream. She slowly pushed herself up from the wet lawn, her boots heavy with mud, her face pale and streaked with rainwater. She walked steadily into the glare of the cruisers' headlights, holding up the waterproof packet containing the legal folder and the security hard drive.
""Deputy Miller,"" Chloe said, her voice steady and clear despite the violent shivering of her body. ""My father and that woman murdered my mother eighteen months ago.""
Susan’s wailing choked off mid-sob. She froze on the gravel, her swollen, red-rimmed eyes widening in sudden, paralyzing dread.
""That hard drive contains the raw footage from the security cameras my father tried to erase,"" Chloe continued, looking directly at the seasoned deputy. ""It shows Arthur tampering with my mother's car brakes the night she died. And this folder contains the toxicology reports Susan hid in the attic.""
May you like
Deputy Miller looked from Chloe’s calm, resolute face down to the heavy legal envelope in her hands, then turned his gaze slowly toward Susan, whose mouth opened and closed like a fish suffocating on dry land.
""Check the attic window, Deputy,"" Chloe added softly. ""There's a broken easel covered in Susan's fingerprints. She was the one who pushed him.""
