“A-Audrey?” Liam choked out, his knees physically buckling as his mother gagged behind him, the heavy smell of copper still hanging in the air.
“She’s not here, Liam,” a deep, furious voice echoed from the shadows of the living room. My brother-in-law, Marcus, stepped forward in his full police uniform, holding a stack of legal papers. “She flatlined. And you have exactly ten seconds to explain why you locked a dying woman inside this house…”
PART 3
The atmospheric pressure inside the foyer dropped to an absolute, freezing zero.
Victoria Vance tried to deploy her standard high-society composure, stepping past her trembling son to address the officer. “Now see here, Marcus, this is a private domestic matter. Audrey has always possessed an over-dramatic medical psychology. Liam simply secured the perimeter to prevent an erratic scene before a landmark family celebration.”
“Shut your mouth, Victoria,” Marcus roared, his voice cutting through the house like a physical strike. He raised a secure digital terminal interface, automatically locking the baseline data onto Liam’s pale face.
