Chapter 7 - The Arrests
The silence that followed the video’s conclusion was absolute. Even the seasoned police officers in the room tightened their jaws, their hands dropping instinctively toward their handcuffs as they looked at the woman standing in the silk designer dress.
Elena collapsed onto her knees, weeping hysterically, her hands clutching at the edge of the dining table. “No... no, Marcus, please! It’s out of context! I was stressed! I was having a mental breakdown! You left me alone for four years! It’s your fault! You drove me to this!”
Julian didn't weep. He panicked. Recognizing that he was facing decades in a state penitentiary for elder abuse, forgery, and conspiracy to commit murder, he lunged toward the sliding glass patio doors at the rear of the dining room, desperate to escape into the backyard.
“He’s running!” one of the officers shouted.
He didn't make it two yards. Two tactical officers intercepted him, slamming his heavy frame hard against the hardwood floor. The sound of his breath leaving his lungs in a sharp whoosh was followed immediately by the sharp, metallic ratchet of steel handcuffs securing his wrists behind his back.
“Julian Vance, you are under arrest for felony forgery, financial fraud, and conspiracy to commit aggravated elder abuse,” the officer barked, pressing his knee into Julian’s spine as he searched him for weapons.
Inspector Vance stepped up to Elena, who was now crawling toward my shoes, sobbing uncontrollably. “Marcus, please! We’re married! I love you! Don't let them take me! I’ll give the house back! I’ll give everything back!”
I looked down at her, feeling absolutely nothing. The woman I had loved died the moment I saw my mother’s bleeding wrists.
“You didn't love me, Elena,” I said coldly, stepping back so her hands grasped only empty air. “You loved the wire transfers. Inspector, take her out of my house.”
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Inspector Vance hauled her to her feet by her arms, snapping the cuffs over her wrists with a definitive click. “Elena Vance, you are under arrest for attempted domestic homicide, felony elder abuse, and unlawful restraint. You have the right to remain silent. I strongly suggest you use it.”
As they dragged her screaming through the front door and out to the flashing red and blue lights of the police cruisers, I stood alone in the dining room. I looked at the spilled wine on the white tablecloth, took a deep breath of clean air, and turned off the TV.
