Chapter 7 - The Arrest on the Lawn
Wesley spun around as two Franklin County cruisers slid into the cul-de-sac, their blue-and-red strobes painting the wet asphalt in vibrant sheets of light.
“Sir! Step away from the door!” Deputy Miller’s voice boomed through his vehicle’s PA system. “Hands where we can see them! On your knees!”
Wesley didn’t run. His narcissistic pride wouldn’t allow him to understand the gravity of his mistake. He straightened his wet collar, turned to the approaching officers, and put on his charming, country-club grin.
“Officers, thank God you’re here,” Wesley said, raising his hands in a placating gesture. “My wife is having an acute manic episode. She’s locked herself inside and hacked my mother’s business accounts. I came here solely to ensure she hadn’t harmed herself.”
Miller didn’t even slow down. He stepped onto the wet lawn, his partner moving to flank.
“Wesley Ward, you were served with a court-ordered temporary protective order at 2:45 p.m. today,” Miller said, unclipping his handcuffs. “The order states you must remain five hundred feet from this premises. Turn around and face the wall.”
“Wait! This is a misunderstanding! I have residency rights here!” Wesley protested, his voice cracking as Miller grabbed his wrist and twisted it behind his back with practiced efficiency.
*Click.*
The steel cuff snapped shut over his right wrist.
“Ow! Watch the shoulder! I have an attorney!” Wesley snarled, thrashing against the hood of the patrol car.
“You’re going to need one,” Miller muttered, clicking the second cuff into place. “Wesley Ward, you are under arrest for violation of a protection order, menacing, and contempt of court.”
Across the street, curtains parted in every single house.
Mrs. Higgins stood on her porch, holding an umbrella in one hand and her phone in the other, filming the entire arrest in 4K resolution.
Just then, a silver Lexus sped down the street, splashing water across the curb as it screeched to a halt behind the police cruisers. Eleanor Ward burst out of the driver’s side, forgetting her umbrella entirely. Her dyed blonde hair was coming loose, her designer makeup smeared by the rain.
“Stop this immediately!” Eleanor shrieked at the officers. “Do you know who I am? I am Eleanor Ward! I chaired the Mayor’s Gala last month! Unhand my son this instant!”
“Ma’am, step back from the vehicle or you will be arrested for obstruction of justice,” the second officer warned, placing a hand on his taser.
Eleanor turned her glare toward my front window. She couldn’t see me through the tinted glass, but she knew I was there.
“You ungrateful little whore!” Eleanor screamed, her voice carrying across the entire neighborhood. “You came from nothing! My son elevated you! We offered you a family, and you stab us in the back with these fabricated lies? We will destroy you! We will take your license, your house, and every penny you will ever earn!”
I unlocked the front door, stepped onto the covered porch, and stood beneath the awning, perfectly dry.
I lifted my phone, tapped the screen, and aimed it directly at Eleanor.
May you like
“Keep talking, Eleanor,” I called out, my voice clear and serene. “The grand jury loves spontaneous confessions.”
***