Chapter 14 - The Midnight RaidAt 2:14 AM, the glass in our kitchen side-door shattered.
The sharp, cracking sound ripped through the quiet house like a gunshot. I was out of bed instantly, my hand gripping the heavy flashlight as I moved silently down the hallway.
Diego’s bedroom door creaked open. He stood in the doorway in his pajamas, clutching his stuffed bear and his brass compass.
"Stay in your room, buddy," I whispered fiercely, pushing him gently back inside and locking his door from the outside.
I crept into the kitchen. A gloved hand reached through the broken glass pane, twisting the interior deadbolt. The door swung open, and a heavy, familiar silhouette stepped into the moonlight filtering through the window.
"Where is it, Art?" Grant hissed, his voice frantic, smelling heavily of stale whiskey and desperation. "Where did my father hide the trust papers? I know you have them!"
"You're trespassing, Grant," I said, flicking on the overhead light with my left hand while holding the heavy iron flashlight steady in my right.
Grant spun around, his eyes wild and bloodshot, a heavy tire iron clutched in his right hand. "You ruined my life! You took everything! Give me the keys to the safe or I swear to God—"
Before he could take a step forward, the front and back yards suddenly exploded with the blinding glare of red and blue cruiser lights.
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Deputy Miller and three county deputies swarmed the back deck, shouting commands.
Grant froze, looked at the shattered glass, looked at the flashlight in my hand, and dropped the tire iron to the floor with a hollow clank just as the deputies tackled him to the linoleum.
