Chapter 5 - The Confrontation
A heavy black SUV pulled up onto the gravel driveway outside, its engine idling with a low, predatory rumble.
"They're here," Marcus whispered, his face draining of all color.
"Listen to me," I said, pointing toward the rear of the basement. "Is there a storm cellar escape hatch down here?"
"Yes," Eleanor said, pointing toward a heavy wooden door hidden behind a metal storage rack. "It opens into the overgrown ravine behind the property."
"Take Silas and run through the ravine to the main road," I ordered Marcus. "Get to the gas station at the corner and tell the clerk to call the state police commissioner directly. Tell them Officer Vance called in a Code 9-9 Environmental Felony in progress."
"What about you?" Marcus asked, his eyes wide.
"I'm going to draw their attention."
I ushered the family through the storm hatch, watching as Marcus carried Silas into the safety of the wooded ravine. Before Silas disappeared into the trees, he turned back to look at me one last time. He gave me a tiny, solemn nod—the nod of a boy who knew he had finally been heard.
I locked the storm hatch from the inside, ran back up the concrete stairs into the main living room, and kicked open the front door just as two men in dark tactical suits stepped onto the porch.
"Cedar Rapids Police!" I shouted, drawing my sidearm and aiming it straight at the lead figure. "On the ground! Right now!"
The men froze, startled by the presence of a uniformed officer standing inside what was supposed to be a secure, abandoned drop-house.
"Drop your weapons!" I commanded, stepping forward with absolute authority.
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The lead man reached for his belt, but before he could pull his weapon, the loud, wailing sirens of four state police cruisers rounded the corner of Maple Street, tires screeching as they blocked the driveway. Marcus had made it to the main road.
The two suspects threw their hands into the air as backup officers swarmed the lawn, securing the perimeter and placing both men in heavy restraints.
