Chapter 7
The next morning,
Alice received a call from Detective Miller.
"I spoke with them,"
he said.
His voice was tired.
"They denied everything.
Your father-in-law claims you tripped and hit the counter.
Your mother-in-law and sister-in-law corroborated his story."
Alice smiled into the phone.
"Is that what they told you?"
"Yes,
ma'am.
They also claimed you threatened them with a knife first.
Without a third-party witness,
it is a he-said-she-said situation.
I can pass it to the DA,
but without hard proof,
they might not press charges."
"Detective Miller,"
Alice said softly.
"Do you have an email address I can send a file to?"
There was a pause on the line.
"Yes,"
he said slowly.
Alice typed the address into her computer.
She attached the video file.
"I had a security camera on the bookshelf,"
Alice explained.
"I installed it to watch the wedding gifts.
They didn't know it was there.
I just sent you the footage of the entire morning."
She heard the click of a mouse on the other end of the line.
A few seconds of silence passed.
Then,
she heard a sharp intake of breath.
Detective Miller was watching the video.
He watched Briana demand breakfast.
He watched Patricia demand obedience.
He watched Frank deliver the brutal slap.
He watched Alice grab the knife in pure self-defense.
"My god,"
Miller whispered.
"Yeah,"
Alice said.
"Is that enough hard proof for the DA?"
"Mrs.
Alice,"
Miller said,
his voice totally changed.
It was sharp,
focused,
and angry.
"This changes everything.
Not only do we have felony assault,
but we have three counts of making false statements to a police officer."
"I thought you might like that,"
Alice said.
"When are you going to arrest him?"
"I am pulling a warrant right now,"
Miller said.
"I will have him in handcuffs before lunchtime."
Alice hung up the phone.
She walked to her closet.
She picked out a stunning red dress.
It was bold.
It was aggressive.
She paired it with black heels.
She was going to the office today.
She was not going to hide in her parents' house.
She was the Vice President of Marketing.
She had a life to live.
When she walked into her corporate building,
heads turned.
People noticed the bruise,
but they also noticed the absolute fire in her eyes.
She did not look like a victim.
She looked like a warrior.
Her assistant,
Sarah,
gasped when she saw her.
"Oh my god,
Alice.
Are you okay?"
"I am perfect,
Sarah,"
Alice said,
setting her briefcase on the desk.
"Cancel all my meetings for this afternoon.
I have a feeling I am going to get some very interesting phone calls."
Sarah nodded quickly.
"Right away,
boss."
Alice sat in her ergonomic chair.
She opened her laptop.
She started drafting a press release for her company.
She was not going to let Patricia's Facebook rumors ruin her career.
She was going to take control of the narrative.
But first,
she waited for the inevitable explosion.
It happened exactly at 11:45 AM.
Her phone rang.
It was Kevin.
She let it go to voicemail.
It rang again.
And again.
Finally,
she answered.
"What?"
she asked simply.
"Alice!"
Kevin was screaming.
He was practically crying.
"The police are here!
They are arresting my dad!
May you like
They put him in the back of a squad car in front of the whole neighborhood!
What did you do?!"
