Chapter 6 - The Arrest
The lead detective, a burly man with graying hair named Detective Miller (no relation), pulled a folded piece of paper from his coat pocket.
“Lydia Miller?” Detective Miller asked.
Lydia straightened her posture, trying to regain her regal composure. “Yes? Who are you?”
“I’m Detective Miller with the Milbrook Police Department Major Crimes Unit,” he said calmly. “I have a warrant for your arrest.”
Mom screamed. “Arrest?! On what grounds?! This is a family argument!”
Detective Miller didn't even look at Mom. He pulled out a pair of steel handcuffs.
“Lydia Miller, you are under arrest for attempted murder in the second degree, assault with a dangerous weapon, reckless endangerment, and destruction of emergency communication equipment.”
Lydia’s jaw dropped. “Attempted murder?! Are you insane?! I cooked dinner!”
“We have viewed the kitchen surveillance footage from Monday evening, Miss Miller,” Detective Miller said sternly. “We saw you adulterate the meal with known allergens, conceal the victim’s emergency medication, forcibly administer the food, and physically disable the telephone while the victim was experiencing anaphylactic shock.”
Lydia looked at me, her eyes wide with sheer, unadulterated terror.
“The camera...” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “You... you put a camera in the kitchen?”
“Dad asked me to,” I said quietly. “He knew what you were doing.”
Detective Miller grabbed Lydia’s wrists and snapped the steel cuffs around her wrists with a sharp, heavy clack.
“You have the right to remain silent,” Detective Miller read off his card as he escorted her toward the door. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law...”
“Mom! Do something!” Lydia shrieked as she was dragged down the front steps in front of the neighbors who were gathering on their lawns. “Mom! Call the lawyer! Call someone!”
Mom ran out onto the lawn, crying hysterically, as the police officers lifted Lydia into the back of an unmarked cruiser.
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I stood on the porch, watching the red and blue lights reflect off the quiet suburban windows.
The nightmare that had started when I was nine years old was finally unraveling.
