Chapter 6 - Trapped in the Shadows
I ducked behind the heavy velvet curtains beside the office window, holding my breath so hard my lungs burned.
Footsteps clicked on the hardwood floor outside the hallway.
My mother walked into the office, complaining to herself about the cold night air. She walked toward the closet near the desk, completely unaware that the computer monitor behind her was glowing softly with the export progress bar.
95%... 98%... 100% Complete.
A soft chime sounded from the desktop speakers.
My mother froze. She turned toward the computer desk. "What in the world...?"
She took three steps toward the monitor.
Before she could see the screen, Mia's car horn blared twice from the street outside—a frantic distraction signal.
"Arthur?!" my mother called out, walking over to the window just inches from where I was hiding behind the curtain. "What is that noise?!"
Arthur’s voice yelled from the front driveway: "Bethany! We are going to be late! Come down right now!"
My mother sighed with deep irritation, turned around, and hurried out of the room, her high heels clicking down the stairs.
The front door slammed shut. The garage door groaned as their car pulled away.
I slipped out from behind the curtain, grabbed my external hard drive, unplugged the server cables, and wiped the digital access logs.
Ten minutes later, I was back in my car, holding the drive tightly against my chest as if it were a precious jewel.
I drove straight to the police station.
Detective Miller—the lead investigator assigned to the case—met me in an interview room. I placed the hard drive on the table and pushed it toward him.
"What's this, Miss Reynolds?" Detective Miller asked.
"This is the complete, unedited video and audio recording of the entire incident from inside my parents' house," I said, my voice steady and cold. "Including my brother's assault, my family's explicit attempt to cover it up, and my father's plan to destroy the evidence tonight."
Detective Miller plugged the drive into his laptop. He put on his headphones and clicked play.
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As he watched the video, the detective’s professional demeanor vanished. His jaw set into a hard, rigid line, and his eyes flashed with profound disgust.
"Miss Reynolds," Detective Miller said, closing the laptop screen. "This isn't just an assault case anymore. This is a slam-dunk felony. I am issuing an immediate arrest warrant for Seth Reynolds."
