Chapter 28 - Hunted and Hunter
|
I backed away slowly down the upper hallway as Helena reached the top of the stairs, swinging the heavy brass poker back and forth in rhythmic, terrifying arcs.
“Helena, stop!” I shouted, keeping my eyes on her hands. “Officer Davis is an armed policeman! If you hurt him, you’re going to prison for the rest of your life!”
“Officer Davis is unconscious in the basement,” Helena cackled, a terrifying sound that echoed off the high cedar walls. “And there are no cameras here, Emily. No Detective Singh. No smart lawyers. Just you and me.”
She lunged forward, swinging the poker with surprising strength. The heavy brass head shattered the glass artwork on the wall right beside my shoulder, sending sharp shards raining down onto the hardwood floor.
I turned and sprinted toward the master bathroom, slamming the heavy solid oak door shut and sliding the brass lock into place just as Helena crashed against the exterior panel.
“Open the door, you ungrateful little bitch!” Helena screamed, beating against the wood with the heavy poker.
I looked around the bathroom frantically. There was no exterior window, only a skylight high above the marble shower stall.
Then I saw it sitting on the marble vanity counter: Victor’s old smart-home master controller tablet, left behind during the asset seizure.
My hands flew over the touchscreen. Victor had bragged for years about the lakehouse’s integrated high-decibel security protocols designed to disorient intruders. I jammed my thumb onto the emergency panic icon and overridden the local safety locks.
Instantly, strobe lights mounted across the entire house began flashing at blinding speed, while a deafening 120-decibel security horn erupted through every room.
May you like
Outside the door, Helena shrieked in pain, dropping the brass poker as the blinding light and earsplitting sound overwhelmed her senses.
I kicked the bathroom door open, pushed past the disoriented, staggering woman, and sprinted down the stairs to check on Officer Davis.
