Chapter 8 - The Academy's Investigation
By the time Marcus and I pulled up to my street, the drama had already spilled across the cul-de-sac.
Vanessa’s white luxury SUV—leased, no doubt, with money drained from my accounts—was parked diagonally across my lawn, tire treads tearing through the wet sod. Vanessa was standing on my front porch, pounding her fists violently against the double front doors.
“Open this door, Claire!” she shrieked, her voice echoing down the quiet street. Neighbors were coming out onto their porches, coffee mugs in hand. “You ruined his life! They rescinded his placement! They revoked his fellowship! You destroyed my son!”
A police cruiser was parked directly behind her SUV, its blue lights flashing silently. A tall female officer and a young deputy were walking up the driveway, their hands resting loosely near their duty belts.
“Ma’am! Step away from the door!” the female officer commanded.
Vanessa didn't stop. She kicked the lower panel of the oak door with her designer heel. “She stole our money! She’s holding my brother’s belongings hostage!”
I stepped out of Marcus’s car.
“Officer,” Marcus announced loudly, holding up a laminated court order. “I am Marcus Vance, legal counsel for Mrs. Claire Montgomery, the sole registered owner of this property. The woman on the porch has no legal standing here and has just committed felony criminal trespass and property damage.”
Vanessa spun around, her eyes bulging when she saw me.
“You!” she screamed, lunging down the porch steps. “You evil, jealous monster! You knew Maestro Kensington was Jonah’s only chance! The academy cancelled his contract! They’re demanding the forty-five thousand dollars back or they’re calling the district attorney! Where am I supposed to get that kind of money?!”
The female officer caught Vanessa by the wrists, spinning her around and shoving her face-first against the hood of the police cruiser.
“Stop resisting!” the officer barked as Vanessa thrashed.
“Get off me! Do you know who I am?! My husband is an architect!”
“Ma’am, you are under arrest for trespassing, disturbing the peace, and vandalism,” the officer said calmly, clicking the steel cuffs around Vanessa’s wrists.
Ben’s car suddenly screeched around the corner, coming to an abrupt halt behind Vanessa’s SUV. He leaped out of the vehicle, disheveled, wearing the same wrinkled shirt from the night before.
“Claire! Stop this! Please!” Ben shouted, holding his hands up toward the officers. “Officer, don't arrest her! This is a family dispute! We’re married!”
Marcus stepped forward, placing himself between Ben and me.
“Mr. Miller, you were served with an emergency restraining order at eight-fifteen this morning via your corporate email. You are currently within five hundred feet of your estranged wife. That constitutes an immediate Class A misdemeanor violation.”
Ben stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes darted from Marcus to the handcuffs around his sister’s wrists, and finally to me.
“Claire...” Ben whispered, his voice cracking. “Please. We can fix this. Think of Lily. You’re destroying her family.”
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“You stopped thinking about Lily,” I said, looking at him with stone-cold indifference, “the second you decided she didn't deserve food at her own birthday party.”
***
