CHAPTER 3 — THE TRAP
Claire woke to flashing blue lights outside the house.
Police officers stood quietly on the porch.
Behind them were detectives, paramedics, and an investigator from Adult Protective Services.
She turned toward Ethan.
"What is this?"
He answered with military precision.
"The truth."
Detectives photographed every bruise.
Collected the hidden cameras.
Recovered deleted security footage from the home's recording system.
The videos showed everything.
Claire screaming.
Claire pushing the old woman onto the floor.
Claire withholding medication.
Claire laughing while the frightened woman begged to call her son.
Then came the final recording.
Claire speaking to a friend over the phone.
"He's deployed for another six months. If the old woman dies before then, everything becomes much easier."
The room fell silent.
Even Claire couldn't explain away her own voice.
She lunged toward Ethan.
"You planned this!"
"No," he replied calmly.
"You did."
The handcuffs clicked around her wrists.
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For the first time since Ethan returned...
Claire looked afraid.
