Chapter 5 - Handcuffs and Confessions
Before Travis could process his terror, the silence of the neighborhood was shattered by the roaring wail of sirens. Red and blue lights flashed wildly through the living room windows as four police cruisers and two black SUV gunships screeched to a halt outside.
Armed officers burst through the front door with weapons drawn. "Nobody move! Hands where we can see them!"
"Help us!" Deborah shrieked, cowering behind her husband. "Someone broke in! Someone murdered my daughter-in-law!"
A stern detective stepped forward, unhinging a set of steel handcuffs from his belt. "Travis Montgomery?"
"Yes! Yes, that's me!" Travis wept from the floor, his hands covered in synthetic blood residue. "Where is my wife?! Where are my babies?!"
"You are under arrest for Criminal Endangerment, Aggravated Wilful Neglect resulting in Severe Bodily Injury, and Attempted Manslaughter," the detective announced coldly, slamming Travis against the wall and clicking the cuffs around his wrists.
"What?! No!" Deborah screamed, rushing forward. "You're making a mistake! He didn't do anything! She was just in labor!"
The detective turned on Deborah with a look of pure disgust. "We have the audio recording, ma'am. The victim was on a live emergency line when you told her to 'stop acting dramatic' so you could buy a handbag. You locked a woman in high-risk premature labor inside a house without assistance."
"She's exaggerating! She's fine!" Richard yelled defensively. "She's just playing a sick prank on us!"
May you like
"Does this look like a prank to you?" the detective snapped, pointing to the bloodied room. "Your daughter-in-law suffered a massive catastrophic hemorrhaging event alone on this floor because of your family's refusal to let her access medical care."
Travis let out a guttural scream of anguish, realizing the horror of his actions as he was dragged out of the house in front of all his gathering neighbors.
