Chapter 5 - The Diary of a Madman
Police obtained a search warrant for Arthur's sprawling estate on the edge of town.
Marcus and I were allowed to accompany them to identify anything out of place.
The house was perfectly clean, almost terrifyingly sterile.
But in Arthur's locked home office, investigators found something chilling.
Hidden behind a false panel in his bookshelf was a leather-bound journal.
Detective Harris read a few pages before his face drained of color.
He handed the book to Marcus, pointing to a specific entry from last month.
I read over Marcus's shoulder, feeling sick to my stomach.
"She defies me at every turn. The mother is poisoning the child against me," Arthur had written.
"If I cannot mold the girl in my image, neither will she."
"I will leave a mark that will remind them of their disrespect forever."
Marcus threw the book across the room, shattering a glass lamp.
"He's insane," Marcus yelled, his voice echoing in the empty mansion.
May you like
The journal proved this was an act of pure, malicious vengeance.
It gave the police all the evidence they needed to issue a nationwide manhunt.
