Chapter 8 - The Raid
The front door burst completely off its hinges as a heavy tactical ram smashed through the wood.
Four heavily armed SWAT officers flooded into the narrow hallway, their laser sights cutting through the darkness.
"Drop the lighter!" Detective Miller screamed, pointing his weapon directly at Frank's chest.
Frank hesitated for a fraction of a second, staring at the open basement door.
An officer tackled Frank to the floor with brutal efficiency, pinning his arm behind his back and extinguishing the lighter.
Frank grunted in pain as cold steel handcuffs were ratcheted tightly around his wrists.
Todd was still writhing on the floor, clutching his shattered knee and crying uncontrollably.
Vanessa dropped her tire iron, her entire body shaking as the adrenaline rapidly left her system.
"Check the upstairs bedrooms for the sister!" Detective Miller ordered his men.
Two officers rushed up the staircase, their heavy boots thundering on the wood.
A few moments later, Melissa was escorted down the stairs, looking dazed and confused in her pajamas.
"Vanessa? What is happening?" Melissa slurred, clearly under the influence of the heavy sleeping pills Todd had forced her to take.
Vanessa rushed forward, wrapping her arms tightly around her younger sister.
"It is over, Mel, they are going to prison," Vanessa whispered into her hair.
Paramedics rushed into the house, loading Todd onto a stretcher while police dragged Frank out to a waiting squad car.
Detective Miller walked over to Vanessa, holding the red gas can as evidence.
"You saved her life, Vanessa, but you took a massive risk going in there alone."
Vanessa looked around her ruined house, the demolished kitchen, the torn walls, and the shattered front door.
"This is my house," Vanessa said fiercely. "I wasn't going to let them take it from me."
An officer approached Detective Miller and handed him a ringing cell phone they had confiscated from Todd's pocket.
"The caller ID says it is someone named Michael," the officer reported.
Vanessa's blood ran cold at the mention of her ex-fiancé's name.
Detective Miller answered the phone and put it on speaker for Vanessa to hear.
"Todd, the wire transfer from your mother-in-law just cleared," Michael's voice echoed from the speaker.
"I pushed the fraudulent loan through, but you need to burn that house tonight before the bank auditors arrive tomorrow morning."
Detective Miller smiled grimly, looking directly at Vanessa.
"Well, it looks like we have a conspiracy charge to add to the list."
The detective bagged the phone, sealing the fate of everyone involved in the plot.
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But as the police began taping off the crime scene, a sleek black town car pulled slowly into the driveway.
Vanessa's mother, completely unaware of the police raid, stepped out of the vehicle carrying a bottle of champagne.
