Chapter 3 - The Mayor's Desperation
The entire auditorium erupted into chaotic murmurs as Liam sprinted away.
Mayor Sterling shouted his son's name, but Liam pushed through the side doors and vanished into the hallway.
The two police officers looked at the Mayor for instructions, completely forgetting about Ethan.
Richard’s face turned completely purple with panic.
He grabbed the lead officer's arm and demanded that they arrest Ethan immediately.
He screamed that Ethan was a thief and a liar who was trying to ruin an important family.
I looked down at the sonogram clutched in my sweaty palm.
Maya had been carrying Liam’s baby.
Liam was the Mayor's golden child, the star quarterback, and the heir to a political dynasty.
A teen pregnancy scandal would have destroyed his carefully curated future.
I realized with sickening clarity that Maya’s drowning was not an accident.
She had been murdered to protect a political legacy.
And my own husband had possessed the physical evidence.
I stepped away from Richard, feeling a wave of nausea wash over me.
I held the sonogram up high so the people sitting nearby could see it.
I screamed for someone to call the state authorities because the local police were compromised.
Richard lunged at me, trying to snatch the photograph from my fingers.
Ethan moved faster, tackling his father to the carpeted floor of the aisle.
The crowd gasped and screamed as the two men wrestled violently.
The Mayor frantically ordered the police to confiscate the piece of paper in my hand.
He claimed it was forged contraband designed to slander his family.
The officers advanced toward me with their batons drawn.
I backed away, shielding the fragile photograph against my chest.
Other parents in the crowd began to stand up, forming a physical barrier between me and the corrupt cops.
The principal rushed to the podium and shouted into the microphone for everyone to remain calm.
He ordered the school security guards to lock the auditorium doors until the situation was resolved.
I heard the heavy metallic clicks of the deadbolts engaging all around the massive room.
We were entirely trapped inside with the people who had covered up my daughter’s murder.
The Mayor pulled a cell phone from his tailored suit and typed a rapid message.
He looked up at me with a gaze so incredibly cold it froze the blood in my veins.
He calmly stated that nobody was leaving this building until that piece of paper was destroyed.
May you like
Suddenly, the main power to the auditorium was completely cut.
The entire massive room was plunged into absolute, pitch-black darkness.
