Chapter 7 - The Arrest
Back at the cabin, Daniel took two aggressive steps toward Rachel, raising the shotgun stock toward his shoulder.
"Last chance, Rachel," Daniel hissed. "Move."
"No," Rachel said, looking him dead in the eye. "You'll have to shoot through me."
Before Daniel could pull the trigger, the sudden, deafening roar of police engines shattered the silence of the woods.
Three heavy police SUVs burst through the trees from the side logging trail, their high-beam lights blinding Daniel with a wall of brilliant white light. Red and blue strobe lights flashed wildly across the wet pine trees.
"POLICE! DROP THE WEAPON!" Detective Ruiz’s voice boomed over a loudspeaker. "DROP THE GUN NOW, DANIEL!"
Daniel gasped, blinded by the intense light, spinning around in panic.
"PUT IT DOWN!" Detective Thorne shouted, stepping out from behind his door with his sidearm aimed straight at Daniel’s chest.
Daniel lifted the shotgun toward the police.
BOOM!
A single precision shot from Thorne’s rifle struck the stock of Daniel’s shotgun, shattering the wooden frame and knocking the weapon violently from his hands.
Daniel screamed in pain, clutching his bruised wrist, falling onto his knees in the cold mud.
Within seconds, four tactical officers tackled Daniel to the ground, pinning his arms behind his back. The steel handcuffs clicked shut around his wrists with a heavy, final sound.
"Daniel Carter, you are under arrest for attempted murder, kidnapping, arson, and child endangerment!" Elena shouted, stepping over him and kneeling beside his face in the mud. "You have the right to remain silent!"
Daniel turned his mud-streaked face toward Elena, his eyes wild with defeat. "How... how did you find this place?!"
Elena pulled out her phone, showing him the live streaming dashboard linked to Lily’s accessibility account.
"Your eight-year-old daughter is smarter than you, Daniel," Elena said coldly. "She recorded your entire confession and sent it straight to the precinct."
Daniel slumped into the mud, silent at last.
Two female officers ran past them, wrapping warm wool blankets around Rachel and Lily, guiding them toward the heated interior of a police cruiser.
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Rachel sat in the back seat, holding Lily tightly in her arms.
As the ambulance and police sirens finally began to wail down the mountain road, Rachel looked out the window at the dark forest, feeling the crushing weight of two years of fear, manipulation, and terror melt away forever in the warm embrace of her daughter.
