Chapter 1 - The Playback
The precinct was dead silent. The only sound was the hum of the fluorescent lights above and the frantic clicking of Detective Miller’s pen.
"Play it," Miller said, his voice stripped of its earlier arrogance.
I took the memory card from the desk, walked over to the precinct's computer terminal, and slid it into the reader. Greg stood up, his perfectly ironed shirt suddenly looking suffocating. "You can't use that! That's an illegal recording!"
"It’s my mother’s house," I snapped, my eyes never leaving the screen. "And she consented to the installation for her own security. Watch the screen, Greg."
The video was crystal clear, capturing the living room in high definition. It showed my mother sitting by the fireplace, reading a book. Then, Greg entered. The audio picked up his raised voice, demanding she sign the transfer papers for the Tahoe estate. When she refused, calmly and firmly, Greg grabbed the heavy iron fireplace poker.
My mother shrank back. Claire, my own sister, stepped into the frame, leaned against the doorframe, and crossed her arms. She didn’t flinch when Greg swung the iron rod, striking our mother’s shoulder and sending her crashing into the coffee table.
"Call the police," Claire said on the video, her voice devoid of emotion. "Tell them she went crazy and tried to attack you. I’ll back you up."
Detective Miller turned away from the screen, his face a mask of disgust. He pointed a trembling finger at Greg. "Cuff him. Aggravated assault on an elderly person, filing a false police report, and attempted fraud."
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Greg lunged toward Claire, but two officers tackled him to the linoleum floor. Claire finally looked at me, her eyes wide with a sudden, desperate panic. "Julianne, please! He made me do it!"
I knelt beside my mother, gently touching her unbruised hand. "Save it for the judge, Claire."
