Chapter 34 - The Interrogation Room
In the harsh, fluorescent glare of the police precinct's interrogation room, Derek sat shivering in his wet clothes. The arrogant, wealthy businessman who had once laughed at me on a freezing highway was entirely, permanently gone. He was a broken, terrified shell of a man staring at the very real prospect of a twenty-year federal prison sentence.
Two detectives sat across the metal table, dropping a thick file folder between them.
"You're facing a laundry list of felonies, Mr. Grant," the lead detective said, his tone devoid of any sympathy. "Kidnapping, assault, probation violation, and conspiracy. The judge is going to throw you in a deep, dark hole and lose the key."
Derek swallowed hard, his eyes darting frantically around the room. The reality of federal prison terrified him more than anything. He realized that loyalty to his mother was a luxury he could no longer afford.
"It wasn't my idea," Derek blurted out, his voice cracking with desperate cowardice. "I didn't plan it! It was my mother! Vivian Grant!"
The detectives exchanged a brief, unimpressed glance. "Keep talking."
"She hired a private investigator! Vance Gable! He pulled the fire alarm to create the diversion!" Derek babbled, throwing his own mother under the bus with breathtaking speed to save his own skin. "She was driving the getaway car! She planned the whole thing! I was just desperate to see my daughter! She manipulated me!"
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The detective wrote down the name on a notepad. "Vance Gable and Vivian Grant. Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Grant. Unfortunately for you, being manipulated by your mommy doesn't make kidnapping your infant daughter any less of a felony."
The detective stood up, leaving Derek alone in the cold room, weeping into his handcuffed hands. The betrayal was complete. The toxicity of their family had finally consumed itself.
