Chapter 12 - THE ARREST
Luke was waiting when police arrived.
He didn't run.
He stood in the middle of his office.
Calm.
Confident.
Almost smiling.
“You're making a mistake,” he said.
The detective read the warrant.
Luke listened.
Then laughed.
“You don't understand who you're dealing with.”
Reed replied:
“We understand perfectly.”
Luke looked toward Margaret.
She had already begun crying.
“You said everything was handled.”
Luke's expression changed.
“Be quiet.”
Margaret stared at him.
“You promised me.”
“I said be quiet.”
The officers separated them.
As Luke was handcuffed, he looked directly at the security camera.
Then at the officers.
Then smiled.
But there was one thing he didn't know.
The camera wasn't merely recording his arrest.
It had been recording everything inside the house for months.
The investigators had discovered a hidden security system.
Every room.
Every hallway.
Every argument.
Every threat.
Every time Luke entered Caroline's bedroom.
Every time Margaret spoke about her.
The evidence was overwhelming.
Luke's lawyer arrived the next morning.
He tried to negotiate.
The prosecutor refused.
Too much evidence.
Too many witnesses.
Too many financial records.
Too many medical reports.
And then Caroline's attorney delivered the final blow.
The forged contract.
The trust document.
The financial transfers.
The recordings.
The medical evidence.
The prosecutor looked at the file.
“This isn't one crime.”
Her assistant nodded.
“It's a pattern.”
Meanwhile, Caroline prepared for court.
For the first time in years, she chose her own clothes.
Her own shoes.
Her own words.
Her own future.
Emily stood beside her.
“You ready?”
Caroline looked into the mirror.
“No.”
May you like
Then she smiled faintly.
“But I'm going anyway.”
