Chapter 37 - The Midnight Intruder
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The accusation was a blatant lie, designed to throw us off balance and put me on the defensive.
By midnight, the house was dark, but nobody was sleeping. Police officers maintained a static patrol outside, but the air felt heavy with impending danger.
I sat in the kitchen, sipping cold tea, staring at the security monitor.
Suddenly, the motion sensor on the rear patio flashed red.
Beep. Beep.
I stood up instantly, grabbing the heavy brass flashlight from the counter. I didn't wake my mother; I stepped silently into the hallway and checked the camera feed on my phone.
A dark shadow was crouching by the basement window, using a specialized glass-cutting tool to weaken the frame.
It wasn't Arthur—he was still in county jail. It was a hired mercenary.
Instead of screaming, I pressed the silent alarm button linked directly to Chief Higgins's tactical unit stationed two blocks away. Then I stepped into the basement doorway, shutting the heavy oak door behind me and flipping the master lock.
Through the reinforced glass of the basement door, I watched the intruder slide open the window and drop silently onto the concrete floor.
He wore dark tactical gear and held a black canvas bag. He moved directly toward the main electrical breaker panel, intending to kill the power and security systems.
I reached out and hit the manual override switch on the wall beside me.
CLANG!
A heavy steel security shutter slammed down over the basement window behind him, locking him inside the concrete room.
The intruder spun around in shock, realizing he was trapped in a windowless bunker.
"Looking for something?" I spoke into the wall intercom, my voice echoing loudly through the basement speakers.
The man looked up at the ceiling camera, his eyes wide with surprise.
Ten seconds later, the external basement doors were kicked open by Chief Higgins and four armed officers, their flashlights blinding the trapped intruder.
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"Drop the bag! Hands on your head! Now!" Higgins ordered loudly.
The mercenary slowly dropped his tools, raising his hands. Arthur’s desperate play had failed before it even started.
