Chapter 10 - The Highway Escape
The screech of burning rubber echoed through the intercom speakers as Detective Miller cursed under his breath. He snapped his walkie-talkie back onto his belt, his professional composure snapping under the immense pressure of the unfolding disaster.
"She's on the run," Detective Miller announced grimly, turning to Clara and the two brothers. "She hijacked a police cruiser. She's heading toward the old coastal cliffs."
Arthur’s face hardened, the grief in his eyes instantly replaced by a fierce, protective resolve. "The old cliffs... that's where Marcus Vance's boat supposedly went down five years ago. There's an abandoned boathouse at the bottom of those rocks where she must have hidden the rest of her stolen assets—and probably the insurance payouts."
"We need to secure this property and get David to an ambulance immediately," Clara stated firmly, refusing to let emotion compromise patient care. She checked David’s pulse rate again, noting the dangerous irregularity caused by weeks of malnutrition. "Arthur, your brother needs immediate intravenous fluids and cardiac monitoring. If we don't hospitalize him within the hour, he won't survive the night."
"Go with him, Clara," Arthur said, looking up at the nurse with absolute trust. "Make sure he gets to St. Jude’s. Give the doctors the yellow letter and the amber vial as primary evidence."
"What about you, Mr. Vance?" Detective Miller asked, stepping toward the exit of the hidden cell. "You can't stay here alone. The property isn't secure, and if Eleanor doubles back..."
"She won't double back. She’s running for her final stash of cash," Arthur interrupted, his voice dropping into a cold, determined tone. He gripped the metal wheels of his chair. "And I'm going with you, Detective. It’s time I finally faced my wife on my own terms."
Detective Miller hesitated, eyeing Arthur’s paralyzed legs and the sheer physical danger of the pursuit. But seeing the unyielding fire in the older man's eyes, the detective nodded slowly. "Alright. But we take my backup vehicle, and we move fast. Officer Davis is already setting up a roadblock three miles past the cliffside turnoff."
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Within minutes, David was safely loaded into a speeding ambulance accompanied by Clara and an emergency paramedic team. Meanwhile, Arthur sat in the passenger seat of Detective Miller’s unmarked Ford Explorer, his fingers tightly clutching the armrests as the SUV tore down the winding gravel driveway, leaving the ominous shadows of the Vance estate behind them.
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