Chapter 10 - The Broken Window
Detective Vance drove his knee into Miller's chest, knocking the remaining wind out of the corrupt agent before slamming his handcuffs onto Miller's wrists with practiced efficiency. Lily scrambled away from the scuffle, running straight into Eleanor's open arms. Eleanor pulled the child tightly against her, burying her face in Lily's hair as tears of relief finally broke through her restrained exterior.
"Are you alright?" Detective Vance asked, breathing heavily as he hauled Miller to his feet and shoved him against the mahogany bookshelf.
"We need a medic, fast!" Eleanor called out, pressing a torn piece of her own dress against Beatrice's bleeding shoulder. "Beatrice has been shot!"
Detective Vance glanced over at the older woman, his expression grim. He pulled a radio from his tactical vest and barked orders for the backup team waiting outside the mansion to rush the perimeter and secure a medical unit immediately.
Beatrice groaned softly, her pale lips parting as she looked up at Eleanor through half-closed eyes. The fierce, unyielding matriarch suddenly looked frail and broken against the antique desk.
"Don't waste your energy on me, Eleanor," Beatrice whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of the rain pouring through the broken window. "Save your sympathy for the girl. I was... I was wrong about everything."
Eleanor shook her head, tears shining in her eyes. "Save your breath, Beatrice. Help is on the way."
"No, listen to me," Beatrice insisted, her fingers weakly grabbing Eleanor's wrist. "The microchip wasn't the only thing your mother left behind. There's a safety deposit box at the downtown bank. The key is... the key is inside the lining of my green gown."
Before Eleanor could process the revelation, a second loud commotion echoed from the hallway outside the study. Heavy boots stomped across the hardwood floors, and shouting voices filled the air as uniformed officers poured through the open doorway.
"Area secure! All exits covered!" a voice shouted over the radio chatter.
Detective Vance stepped back from Miller, handing the struggling agent over to two arriving officers. He then turned his attention back to Eleanor and the injured woman on the floor.
"The perimeter is locked down, and the real marshals have been freed from the basement," Detective Vance reported, kneeling down beside Beatrice. "An ambulance is pulling up to the front entrance right now."
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As the paramedics rushed into the study with a stretcher, one of the officers kicked something metallic that had rolled out from under the heavy velvet curtains near the door. It was Arthur's silver pocket watch, smashed and covered in fresh blood, ticking erratically before finally stopping forever.
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