Chapter 9 - The Arson Attempt
I did not waste a single second listening to Natalie's frantic apologies.
I grabbed the recording device from her trembling hands and ran back to my car.
I called Detective Ramirez while speeding toward my childhood neighborhood, explaining the imminent arson threat.
Ramirez immediately dispatched a SWAT unit and multiple fire engines to the property.
I arrived on my street just as the sun dipped completely below the dark horizon.
The house was completely dark, but I could smell the sharp, sickening fumes of gasoline from the sidewalk.
I crept carefully around to the backyard and peered through the large glass patio doors.
Frank was standing in the center of the living room, pouring a massive red jerrycan of accelerant over the antique rugs.
Evelyn was standing near the front door, wearing her expensive fur coat and holding a single match.
I could not wait for the police to arrive and position themselves perfectly.
I picked up a heavy garden stone and smashed it violently through the glass patio door.
Frank jumped in sheer terror, dropping the heavy plastic can onto the soaked floorboards.
I climbed through the shattered glass, screaming at them to step away from the fumes.
Frank recovered from his shock and lunged toward me with a furious, animalistic roar.
A violent, chaotic struggle ensued in the dark, fume-filled room.
He grabbed my throat, trying to choke the life out of me, but I drove my knee fiercely into his stomach.
Frank collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air and cursing my name.
Evelyn panicked and raised her hand, preparing to strike the match and burn us all alive.
Suddenly, the front door was violently kicked open by three heavily armed police officers.
They aimed their tactical flashlights and weapons directly at my mother's chest.
They ordered her to drop the match immediately or face lethal force.
Evelyn dropped the unlit match, raising her hands in absolute, humiliating defeat.
Officers swarmed the room, roughly slapping heavy steel handcuffs onto Frank and Evelyn.
Detective Ramirez walked inside, looking around at the soaked floors with deep disgust.
He informed them that they were both being arrested for attempted arson and the murder of my father.
As the police hauled them away, an officer found a large metal briefcase hidden in the trunk of Frank's car.
The briefcase was filled with exactly eighty thousand dollars in stolen, untraceable cash.
It was the exact amount needed to pay off the property taxes and stop the auction.
I reached for the briefcase, feeling a massive wave of absolute relief wash over me.
May you like
But Detective Ramirez gently pushed my hand away and shook his head sadly.
He explained that because the cash was linked to the offshore fraud, it had to be seized as federal evidence.
