Chapter 4 - The Evidence Locker
Before Mark could process the horrifying confession his father had just delivered, the elevator doors chimed again. This time, Jenna stepped out, her face flushed with cold air and adrenaline. In her hand, she clutched Arthur’s old gray tablet and a white manila envelope.
"I got the files," Jenna announced, stopping dead in her tracks as she saw Arthur standing in the hallway. Her eyes narrowed into slits. "You."
Arthur turned to look at his daughter, his expression hardening into stern disapproval. "Jenna. Hand over that tablet immediately. Stealing from my home is a felony."
"Stealing?" Jenna laughed bitterly, walking right past him and stopping next to me. "Dad, I found the backup drives in your desk drawer too. Do you know what else is on there? Audio recordings of you tampering with Lucy’s clothes dating back six months. You didn't just plan this for Christmas. You’ve been testing different substances on her laundry for half a year."
Arthur’s eyes flared with genuine anger for the first time. The mask was completely gone now. "You foolish girl. You think a court of law is going to take the word of a hysterical family over a respected community pillar with decades of clean service? I am Arthur Vance. People listen to me."
"Not anymore," a calm, authoritative voice echoed from behind us.
We all turned. Dr. Hayes, the senior attending physician overseeing Lucy’s care, was walking down the hallway accompanied by two hospital security guards and a tall man in a dark suit holding a leather briefcase.
"Mr. Vance, I presume?" Dr. Hayes asked, stopping in front of my father-in-law.
Arthur straightened his coat, attempting to regain his air of superiority. "I am. And I demand to know why my granddaughter’s medical privacy is being violated by these disruptive individuals."
The man in the dark suit stepped forward, flashing a gold badge. "I’m Detective Vance—no relation, thankfully. Mr. Arthur Vance, you are being detained for questioning regarding the suspected poisoning of a minor."
Arthur scoffed, stepping back. "This is absurd. I am an elderly man. I gave my granddaughter a gift, and she had an allergic reaction. That is not a police matter."
"Toxicology reports from the state crime lab just came through on the slippers your daughter-in-law wisely handed over," the detective said, his voice level and cold. "The lining was soaked in a concentrated industrial solvent designed to cause rapid epidermal necrosis and severe burning upon skin contact. That isn't an allergy, Mr. Vance. That’s premeditated chemical assault."
Mark staggered backward, his knees buckling until he caught himself against the wall. He stared at his father with wide, uncomprehending eyes. "Dad... tell me he's lying. Please."
Arthur didn't look at Mark. His cold blue eyes remained locked on the detective, calculating his escape routes. "I want a lawyer. And until I speak with one, I have nothing to say."
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"You'll have plenty of time to talk to a public defender," the detective replied, motioning to the security guards. Two sets of heavy steel handcuffs clicked into place around Arthur’s wrists.
As they led him away down the corridor, Arthur turned his head slightly, his gaze fixing on me with a look of pure, unadulterated venom. "You think this is over, Elena? The family name is already ruined. You’ve destroyed everything."
