Chapter 7 - The Threat of Handcuffs
The blue and red emergency lights began to flash through the drawn curtains of the living room, painting the walls in grotesque shades of crimson and sapphire.
Mom lost whatever composure she had left. She dropped to her knees beside Amanda, wrapping her arms around her daughter's neck. "Run, Amanda! Go out through the back patio! Take my car keys, go to your friend’s cabin in the mountains!"
"Mom, shut up!" Amanda pushed her mother away with savage force. Mom fell back against the hearth, gasping in shock as her head lightly bumped the brick surround. The woman she had defended all her life didn't even look back to see if she was hurt.
Heavy, authoritative footsteps sounded on the front porch, followed by three sharp, thunderous raps on the front door.
"County Sheriff's Department! Open the door!"
David calmly walked past the dining table, stepped into the foyer, and unlocked the heavy oak door. Two uniformed deputies stepped inside, followed by a plainclothes investigator wearing a trench coat. Detective Miller took off his fedora, his sharp eyes instantly assessing the room—the shattered porcelain on the floor, the overturned chair, Amanda covered in fireplace soot, and me standing in the corner holding a tear-stained Lily.
"David," Detective Miller acknowledged, nodding at my husband. "Is this the residence?"
"Yes, Detective," David replied, gesturing toward Amanda. "That is Amanda Hayes. And that is Evelyn Hayes."
Miller stepped into the dining room. "Amanda Hayes, you are under arrest for grand larceny, identity theft, and first-degree financial fraud related to the unlawful lien of this property. Furthermore, we have a report of assault against a juvenile."
"It wasn't assault!" Amanda shrieked, backing into the corner between the curio cabinet and the wall like a cornered animal. "The kid was misbehaving! I was disciplining my niece! It's family business! You can't arrest me for disciplining a child in my own house!"
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"Actually, ma'am, it's not your house," the younger deputy said, pulling a pair of steel handcuffs from his utility belt. "Step forward and put your hands behind your back."
"No! Mom, do something! Mom!" Amanda fought back, thrashing and kicking her designer heels as both deputies moved in swiftly, grabbing her arms and forcing them behind her back. The sharp *click-clack* of the metal cuffs locking around her wrists was the sweetest sound of justice I had ever heard.
