Chapter 2 - THE ARREST
My parents were not masterminds. They were just arrogant.
They hadn't driven back to their hometown. They had driven straight to a luxury ski resort in Aspen, checking into a five-thousand-dollar-a-night suite. They assumed I would freeze to death, or wander into the woods, and they could report me missing the next morning, playing the role of devastated parents.
They were drinking mimosas in their plush white robes when the SWAT team breached their door at 8:00 AM.
Detective Miller showed me the bodycam footage later that afternoon.
“What is the meaning of this?!” my mother shrieked as heavily armed officers pinned her face-down onto the expensive Persian rug. “Do you know who we are? We are the Sterling family!”
“We know exactly who you are, Mrs. Sterling,” the arresting officer said, slapping steel cuffs onto her wrists. “You're under arrest for two counts of attempted first-degree murder.”
My father, Richard, was hyperventilating, his arrogant demeanor completely shattered. “This is a mistake! My daughter is mentally ill! She ran away from the car!”
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“Save it for the judge, Richard,” the officer barked, hauling him to his feet. “We have the whole thing on camera.”
As I sat in the precinct watching the footage, a cold, hard sense of vindication settled in my chest. They thought they had buried me. They didn't realize I was a seed.
