Chapter 10 - Sirens in the Night
The red and blue flashing lights of the county sheriff’s cruisers began to paint the ancient pines of the East Woods in erratic, strobe-like hues. The deep rumble of heavy engines rattled the damp air as three squad cars converged on the service road near the estate’s east gate. Julian stood holding Leo tightly against his chest, the boy’s shallow breathing the only tether keeping him grounded in the swirling chaos of revelations and violence.
Martha stood beside him, her weathered face illuminated by the flashing beacons, her eyes fixed on the trapped form of Victoria, who had stopped screaming and was now glaring daggers at both of them from beneath the crushed pine branch.
“Mr. Vance! Over here!” a booming voice called out through the downpour.
Sheriff Miller, a grizzled veteran with decades of service in the county, pushed his way through the dense underbrush, flashlight in one hand and his service weapon holstered at his hip. Two deputies followed closely behind him, carrying heavy rescue gear and a hydraulic spreader.
“Good Lord, what happened here?” Sheriff Miller asked, his eyes darting from Julian’s soaked white shirt and ruined suit trousers to Victoria pinned under the timber, and finally to the small boy wrapped in Julian’s jacket. “Dispatch received an anonymous tip about shots fired and a child abduction in progress.”
“My wife had an accident while trying to track down a stray dog in the storm, Sheriff,” Julian said deliberately, his voice devoid of emotion as he looked straight into the lawman’s eyes. “The tree came down during the gale. She needs medical attention for her leg immediately.”
Victoria let out a sharp, incredulous laugh from the mud. “An accident? You lying bastard! He tried to kill me! He and this wretched maid conspired to—!”
“Shut her up!” Sheriff Miller barked at one of the deputies, nodding toward Victoria. The deputy stepped forward, slipping a heavy emergency blanket over her shoulders and signaling for the rescue team to deploy the hydraulic jack. “Mrs. Vance, you’re entitled to medical help, but anything you say from this point forward will be recorded and used in a court of law.”
Sheriff Miller turned his attention back to Julian, his gaze softening slightly as he looked at Leo. “Is the boy all right, Mr. Vance? Dispatch said he was unresponsive.”
“He’s hypothermic and exhausted, Sheriff,” Julian said, his jaw tightening as he looked down at his son’s pale face. “I need to get him to the hospital immediately.”
“Take my cruiser,” the sheriff offered, gesturing back toward the service road where the lights were still spinning. “Deputy Vance will drive you. I’ll stay here and secure the estate. We’ve got a lot of questions to answer tonight, Julian—starting with what’s hidden behind the library wall.”
Julian’s breath hitched in his throat. He looked sharply at the sheriff. “How do you know about the library wall?”
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Sheriff Miller offered a grim, knowing smile as he tapped his breast pocket. “Your father was a cautious man, Julian. He left a sealed deposition with my office twenty years ago, instructing me to open it the moment the east wing bookcase was ever moved.”
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