Chapter 4 - THE STEEL CAGEI stood in the dark hallway, watching as Richard, Eleanor, and Marcus crammed themselves into the small, hidden space beneath the floorboards of the pantry.
The heavy steel door slid open. Inside, the room was tiny—barely four feet by six feet—lit by a single overhead battery bulb.
"Get in, Jane! Hurry!" Eleanor hissed, waving her hand frantically. "They're breaking the front door down!"
I stepped up to the threshold of the pantry, looking down into the reinforced box where my family cowered.
"There's only enough oxygen for three people for twelve hours," I said calmly.
"Then get in here so we can lock it!" Richard yelled, grabbing the handle of the interior steel hatch.
"I'm not getting in," I said.
Eleanor stared at me, confused. "What are you talking about? You'll be killed!"
"No, I won't," I said. I pulled a small, sleek black remote control from my pocket. "Because the men outside aren't Victor Vance's loan sharks."
Marcus froze, his jaw dropping. "What?"
"Victor Vance was arrested six months ago in an FBI raid," I explained, my voice echoing coldly in the tiny pantry space. "The men outside are undercover agents from the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the FBI Financial Crimes Unit. I arranged this entire setup."
"You... you lied to us?!" Eleanor shrieked, making a move to climb out of the hatch.
Before she could reach the threshold, I pressed the button on the remote control.
The heavy, steel-reinforced door slammed shut with a deafening CLANG. A series of motorized deadbolts engaged automatically with a sickening click-click-click.
"Jane! Jane, open this door!" Richard’s voice was muffled now, vibrating through the thick steel plate. "Jane, you can't leave us in here!"
"I'm not leaving you," I whispered to the cold metal door. "I'm delivering you."
I turned around and walked back to the front door just as it was pushed open.
Three men in tactical gear stepped inside, their badges gleamed in the dim light of the living room. Leading them was Detective Miller, the lead investigator on Samuel and Penelope's crash case, whom I had met three days prior.
"Mrs. Jane Vance?" Detective Miller asked, lowering his sidearm and stepping into the entryway. "Are you uninjured?"
"I'm fine, Detective," I said, holding out the black folder. "The confessors are locked in the storm shelter beneath the pantry. And inside this folder, you’ll find the audio recordings from the last ten minutes. Marcus admitted to cutting the brake lines. Eleanor and Richard admitted to extortion, conspiracy, and grand larceny."
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Detective Miller took the folder, his face grave as he looked at the sheer volume of evidence inside. "You took a massive risk doing this, Jane."
"No risk at all," I said, looking over my shoulder at the yellow rain boots sitting on the counter. "I had nothing left to lose."
