Chapter 10
The police cruiser pulled to a sudden halt in the driveway, kicking up a small cloud of dust from the gravel edge. Two uniformed officers stepped out immediately, their hands resting on their utility belts as they advanced toward the open garage.
Elena stood by her SUV, holding a crying Lily in her arms, her dark red blouse torn at the shoulder and her hair falling wildly around her face.
"Ma'am, stay where you are!" the lead officer, a tall middle-aged man with a stern expression, called out, raising a hand. "Are you Elena Miller?"
"Yes! I'm Elena Miller!" she cried out, stepping forward into the sunlight. "My husband is inside. He locked himself in the house, but he tried to trap us. He endangered our daughter—he has the evidence inside!"
Before the officer could respond, the service door leading from the kitchen burst open with a splintering crash. David stepped out into the garage, his blue button-down shirt wrinkled, his face twisted in a mask of desperate indignation.
"Officers, thank God!" David shouted, throwing his hands up in a gesture of utter innocence. "My wife is having a severe mental breakdown! She’s delusional, she’s accusing me of unimaginable things, and she’s trying to abduct our baby!"
"Don't listen to him!" Elena screamed, stepping closer to the police officers. "He orchestrated the whole thing! Check the nursery monitor! The micro-SD card is in my pocket—it has video proof of him telling the nurse to drop our daughter!"
The two officers exchanged a quick, practiced glance. The lead officer stepped forward, holding up a hand to signal calm. "Mr. Miller, please step back against the wall and keep your hands where we can see them. Ma'am, please step over here behind us where it's safe."
David didn't move. He stood by the doorway, his eyes darting between the police officers and Elena, calculating his final moves. The mask of charm had completely slipped away, leaving only the desperate, cornered animal underneath.
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"You're making a mistake," David said coldly, his voice dropping an octave. "You have no warrant to enter this property."
"We received a sworn statement from Sarah Jenkins regarding child endangerment and corporate fraud tied to your residence," the second officer said firmly, drawing his handcuffs. "Mr. Miller, turn around and place your hands behind your back."
