Chapter 6 - The Trap Springs ShutVanessa glared at me, her finger trembling over the lighter wheel. "You think you're clever, don't you? You think walking in here makes you a queen? You’re nothing! You’ll burn with me!"
"Look behind you, Vanessa," I said calmly.
She scoffed, a cynical sneer twisting her lips. "Nice try. I'm not falling for a cheap trick—"
Click.
The heavy iron service door at the rear of the greenhouse suddenly swung inward with a loud bang. Officer Miller of the Boston State Police stepped inside, flanked by two armed deputies. They had arrived quietly through the private service lane.
"Drop the lighter, Mrs. Caldwell. This is your final warning," the lead officer commanded, leveling a tranquilizer-style tactical restraint weapon right at her.
Vanessa panicked, her head snapping back and forth. In her momentary distraction, old Thomas—who had crept around the exterior perimeter with a water hose—blasted a high-pressure stream of freezing water directly at her hands.
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The icy torrent struck Vanessa squarely. She shrieked as the plastic fuel can flew from her grip, landing harmlessly in a mud puddle. The heavy brass lighter slipped from her wet fingers, extinguishing instantly in the mud.
Before she could lunge for it, the security guards tackled her to the ground, pinning her wrists behind her back with heavy steel zip-ties.
