Chapter 7
Thomas reached his thick arm through the splintered gap in the doorway, his gloved fingers groping blindly along the inner wall to find the light switch. Leo didn't hesitate. Remembering the heavy fire axe from the church, he channeled that same surge of desperate adrenaline, raising the heavy copper-handled wire cutters high above his head and bringing them down with all his might across Thomas’s forearm. A dull thud echoed in the shed, followed immediately by a sharp, surprised yelp of pain from the groundsman.
Thomas yanked his arm back out of the shed, cursing loudly and clutching his bruised wrist. "You little savage!" he roared, throwing his full weight against the wooden door. The weakened frame shattered completely, the door swinging inward and crashing against the wall. Thomas stepped into the dim shed, towering over Leo, his face dark with fury. But before Thomas could grab the boy, a loud, sharp whistle cut through the damp air from the direction of the main courtyard, followed by the sound of tires screeching violently on gravel.
Through the broken doorway, Leo and Thomas both saw a flash of red emergency lights reflecting off the stained-glass windows of the church. Julian, the estate attorney who had managed to slip away during the initial struggle in the sanctuary, had made it to the caretaker’s cottage down the lane and triggered the automated rural alarm system. A county sheriff’s cruiser came tearing down the long driveway, spraying gravel in all directions, its siren wailing a piercing warning into the quiet afternoon.
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Thomas froze, his expression shifting from anger to absolute panic. He looked from the oncoming cruiser back to Leo, realizing that his window of opportunity had slammed shut. "This isn't over, boy," Thomas hissed under his breath, stepping backward out of the shed and disappearing into the thick boxwood hedge just as the sheriff’s vehicle slid to a halt near the church entrance. Leo dropped the wire cutters to the floor, his legs finally giving out, and sank onto an overturned flowerpot, gasping for breath as relief washed over him.
Two heavily armed sheriff’s deputies burst from the cruiser, their service weapons drawn as they scanned the courtyard. Julian emerged closely behind them, pointing frantically toward the rectory and the church doors. "In there! Arthur Sterling is inside, and he’s holding Clara Sterling against her will!" One of the deputies rushed over to the toolshed, lowering his weapon when he spotted Leo sitting pale and shaking among the garden tools. "Are you alright, son?" the deputy asked gently, kneeling down to look into the boy's big, hazel eyes. Leo nodded slowly, pointing a steady finger back toward the church. "My mom is inside. And Uncle Arthur tried to bury her."
