Chapter 2 - The Smiling Liar
The corrupt officer tipped his hat to me like we were old, friendly neighbors running into each other at a grocery store.
"Good evening, ma'am," the officer said with a sickeningly polite and gentle tone.
"Your husband tells me you took a very nasty tumble down the basement steps while suffering from a manic episode."
I stared at the man in utter disbelief, my mouth opening and closing without any sound coming out.
They had completely orchestrated this entire narrative before I even woke up in the ambulance.
My husband walked over slowly and placed the cheap flowers on my bedside table.
He reached out his hand to stroke my bruised cheek, and I violently flinched away from his touch.
"See, Officer?" my husband sighed deeply, playing the role of the heartbroken spouse with terrifying perfection.
"She is still completely hysterical, paranoid, and refusing to accept reality."
My sister abruptly stood up from her chair, sliding the cracked burner phone safely into her deep purse.
"She did not fall down any stairs, and you know exactly what you did to her in that shed," my sister snapped aggressively.
The officer stopped writing on his notepad and gave my sister a very hard, intimidating look.
"Ma'am, I am going to have to ask you to step outside into the hallway so I can speak to the victim alone," he demanded.
My youngest daughter gripped my hospital gown tightly, refusing to let go of the thin fabric.
"I am not leaving my sister alone with a violent monster and a crooked cop," my sister declared loudly.
My husband chuckled softly, a low, guttural sound that made the hair on my arms stand up.
"You really need to watch your mouth, Sarah," he warned my sister, dropping the friendly facade for just a second.
My sister smiled a dangerous, triumphant smile right back at him.
"I do not need to watch anything, because I already emailed the video of the shed to the State Police."
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The smug, confident look on my husband's face vanished instantly, replaced by sheer panic.
He lunged across the hospital bed, his massive hands reaching directly for my sister's throat.
