Chapter 11 - The Sirens Approach
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The wail of the sirens reached the sprawling estate before I entirely lost consciousness.
At first, I heard them only faintly, a distant, high-pitched scream that sounded as if it belonged to another neighborhood, another life, another woman who had not yet realized she was dying on a Persian rug.
But then the sound rapidly became louder, more aggressive, cutting sharply through the heavy rain. I could hear the distinct roar of powerful engines climbing the steep, curved gravel drive, the sirens echoing deafeningly against the high stone walls of the Wycliffe property.
Graham heard them first.
His head snapped violently toward the towering front windows.
“What is that?” he gasped, his voice cracking with sudden, unadulterated panic.
Constance went completely, deathly still.
For the very first time in my entire life, I watched the arrogant, impenetrable confidence drain entirely from her face. It didn't happen gradually. It vanished all at once, leaving behind the terrified expression of a trapped animal.
The sound of heavy tires screeching violently against the wet gravel came next. Then, the unmistakable sound of car doors slamming shut. Several doors. Heavy, reinforced doors. The specific kind of doors that belonged to police interceptor vehicles and emergency ambulances.
Graham stumbled clumsily toward the window and frantically pulled back the heavy velvet curtain.
His face drained of all color, turning a sickly, ashen gray.
“Police,” he whispered, stumbling backward. “There are police cars everywhere. They're surrounding the house.”
Constance whipped around to face him, her eyes wide.
“That is impossible,” she hissed. “No one called them. The router is dead! The house is secure!”
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“They are coming to the front door, Mother!” Graham yelled, completely losing his composure.
Graham looked down at me lying on the floor. For a fleeting moment, he seemed almost confused. He simply could not comprehend how a woman actively suffocating and burning on the floor could have possibly done anything to summon a small army of law enforcement to their door.
