Chapter 4 - The Uniform in the Hallway
The shadow lengthened across the floorboards until it reached Clara’s outstretched fingers. A pair of polished black boots stepped over the threshold, tracking in the damp residue of the morning grass. Officer Vance stood tall in the doorway, his hand resting casually near the holster on his belt, his eyes scanning the chaotic scene with the practiced detachment of a veteran beat cop.
"Mrs. Miller?" the officer asked, his voice flat and devoid of warmth as he looked down at the pregnant woman writhing in the hallway. "Or should I say, Ms. Vance?"
Clara blinked against the harsh indoor lighting, her mind spinning through the tangled web of names and aliases. "Vance? No... my name is Clara Evans. Leo never said—"
"Leo Evans is my half-brother," the officer corrected smoothly, stepping further into the hallway and letting the heavy front door click shut behind him, cutting off the chill of the street. "And he has a very bad habit of using his mother's maiden name when he borrows money he has no intention of paying back."
Martha didn't flinch at the revelation. She simply adjusted her green cardigan and crossed her legs where she sat on the floor beside Clara, acting more like an amused spectator at a theater than a participant in a family catastrophe.
"I told you the apples don't fall far from the tree," Martha remarked to no one in particular. "Leo always was his father's favorite thief."
Officer Vance ignored the older woman, keeping his gaze fixed entirely on Clara. He crouched down, opening a small leather notebook from his breast pocket, though he didn't reach for a pen. "Where is he, Clara? The black sedan was spotted crossing the county line twenty minutes ago. We have a warrant for his arrest on grand larceny and identity theft."
"He went to the car," Clara sobbed, clutching her abdomen as a sharp pain flared anew. "He said he was coming right back! He left an envelope on the driveway—"
"That envelope contains a tax lien on a property that was foreclosed last week," the officer interrupted, his tone chillingly efficient. "There is no equity left in this house. There is no savings account. And based on the VIN of the car he was driving, the vehicle was reported stolen out of Indianapolis yesterday morning."
Clara shook her head, tears spilling over her lashes. "No... we were going to build a nursery. We bought paint yesterday. He held my hand."
May you like
Officer Vance sighed, closing his notebook with a sharp snap that echoed in the quiet hallway. "He holds everyone's hand right before he picks their pocket. Now, we need to decide what to do with you before the paramedics get here, because dispatch just radioed that the ambulance is stuck behind a freight train on the bypass."
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