Chapter 5 - The Stolen Evidence
The heavy car crashed violently into a long row of metal construction barricades.
The airbags deployed instantly with a deafening pop, filling the cramped cabin with thick white powder.
I unbuckled my seatbelt frantically and kicked the passenger door open before David could wipe his burning eyes.
I sprinted down the dark, rainy street without ever looking back at the smoking wreckage.
My only lucky advantage was that we had crashed a mere three blocks away from my mother's upscale neighborhood.
I crept silently through the familiar shadows until I reached her tall, wooden backyard fence.
I climbed over the wet slats, completely ignoring the sharp splinters aggressively tearing into my bare palms.
The glass patio door was surprisingly unlocked, a careless, arrogant mistake my mother always made.
I slipped inside the dark, quiet house, moving like a ghost toward the formal dining room.
The house was completely silent, meaning they were likely still at the police station filing their false statements.
I scanned the messy living room floor and quickly spotted Mia's brown teddy bear sitting abandoned under the sofa.
I grabbed the plush toy and quickly unzipped its back to extract the tiny, vital memory card.
The digital proof of Vanessa's violent, premeditated assault was finally resting safely in my trembling hand.
I turned around to leave through the back door, feeling a brief, massive surge of triumphant hope.
Suddenly, the bright overhead chandelier snapped on, blinding me completely for a terrifying moment.
My mother was standing at the bottom of the grand staircase, tightly gripping a heavy iron fireplace poker.
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"You really shouldn't have come back to this house, Claire," she whispered with a deeply dark, unnatural smile.
She raised the heavy solid iron bar high above her head and swung it directly at my skull.
