Chapter 5 - Sirens and Smoke
The siren wailed as Miller’s squad car tore through the rainy midnight streets, Clara sitting rigid in the passenger seat with a silver thermal blanket wrapped over her shoulders. Torres followed closely behind in a separate transport vehicle with Julian secured in the rear cage.
Clara pressed her face against the passenger glass. Rain streaked across the window, distorting the streetlamps into smears of orange light. The silent transmitter was still clutched in her coat pocket. Her fingers traced the rough contours of its miniature casing. Julian thought he had erased everything, but he didn't know about the automated upload link synchronized to Elena’s home computer.
""How long had he been hurting you?"" Miller asked quietly, keeping both hands steady on the wheel as they whipped around an empty intersection.
""Since the wedding ring cleared his finger,"" Clara answered, her voice hollow. ""He started with the insults. Then the financial restrictions. Then he convinced everyone I was mentally fragile. Tonight was the first time he used his fists.""
""He won't lay another hand on you, ma'am. The audio you recorded is already being secured by our evidence desk.""
""The audio only proves domestic assault, Officer,"" Clara said bitterly. ""Julian can post bail before sunrise. He has judges in his pocket. The only thing that can bury him is the financial ledger.""
They crested the hill leading into Elmira Court. Plumes of thick, grey smoke billowed against the dark sky, illuminated by the rotating yellow beacons of three fire engines.
Miller slammed on the brakes as hoses crisscrossed the street like giant bloated pythons. Firefighters were directing high-pressure streams into the charred second-story windows of the brick four-plex.
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Clara threw the car door open before Miller could cut the engine. She sprinted through the water puddles and tangled fire hoses toward the triage canopy, her heart pounding in her throat.
A paramedic emerged from the smoke, pushing a gurney with an oxygen mask strapped over the victim's blackened face. Clara froze as the wet sheet slipped back, revealing a pale arm marked by a distinct silver birthmark.
