Chapter 6
The police cruiser idled by the side of the paved highway just twenty yards beyond the wrought-iron fence. Julian dropped the frayed cable, his hands bleeding slightly from the shattered glass housing. He gripped the iron bars of the gate with both hands, his face pressed against the cold metal.
"Officer!" Julian yelled, his voice cracking with desperation as he watched the brake lights of the cruiser glow bright red. "Over here! Medical emergency! My wife is dying inside the grounds!"
Inside the cruiser, the driver’s door pushed open. A tall state trooper in a sharp uniform stepped out, adjusting his duty belt as he looked toward the looming gates of the Vance estate. He scanned the dense trees, the dark security kiosk, and finally locked eyes with Julian standing behind the bars.
"Sir, are you having trouble with the property access?" the trooper called out, his voice carrying clearly across the quiet morning air as he began walking toward the gate.
"The internal power has been sabotaged," Julian shouted back, pointing urgently behind him toward the bench where Clara lay motionless. "My wife is pregnant and unconscious. She was poisoned inside the main house. We need an ambulance immediately, and the gate lock is jammed from the inside."
The trooper stopped ten feet from the fence, his brow furrowing as he assessed the scene. He looked past Julian at Sarah, who was kneeling beside Clara, and then down at the shattered glass of the manual release box.
"Step away from the gate, sir," the trooper instructed calmly, resting his hand near his holster as a matter of protocol. "I'll check the manual override from my end. If the system has been tampered with, I'll need to call for a tactical unit and a rescue squad."
"Just get the cutters!" Julian pleaded, stepping back just enough to give the officer room. "Every minute we waste, she loses ground. The people inside that house... my mother... they did this."
The trooper nodded grimly, stepping up to the exterior control panel mounted on the stone pillar outside the gate. He slid open the weather-proof metal plate, inserted a master override key into the digital interface, and punched in a rapid sequence.
Inside the kiosk, a faint electrical hum began to build. The red warning lights flickered once, twice, and then transitioned to a steady, glowing amber.
Sarah looked up from Clara with wide, hopeful eyes. "Mr. Vance, look! The power is coming back on!"
"Stand clear of the iron panels," the trooper ordered, stepping back as the heavy motor inside the pillar engaged with a deep, grinding groan.
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The left wing of the iron gate began to glide inward, dragging slowly across the gravel path. Julian rushed back to Clara, preparing to lift her again the moment the path cleared.
As the gate opened halfway, a black luxury sedan turned off the highway and pulled directly up behind the police cruiser, its horn blaring a single, sharp note that made everyone freeze.
