Chapter 4
The flashing blue lights suddenly appeared in the window,
and the red lights reflected off the wet glass panes.
The sound of the heavy sirens faded into the night,
and heavy footsteps approached the large wooden front door.
My father stopped screaming at Elise in the dining room,
and he stared at the front window in absolute sheer panic.
My mother began to hyperventilate in her wooden chair,
and she clutched the pearl necklace around her throat.
Rowan walked over to the door and opened it wide,
and two uniformed police officers stepped inside the house.
They were followed by a plainclothes detective in a suit,
and the detective held a small notepad in his left hand.
The detective looked around the chaotic and messy dining room,
and his eyes landed directly on the gray folder Rowan held.
Rowan handed the folder over to the serious detective,
and he pointed at my sister crying on the floor.
The detective opened the folder and reviewed the invoice,
and he looked at the photographs of the damaged green car.
He walked over to Elise and stated his name clearly,
and he read her the Miranda rights in a deep voice.
Elise shook her head back and forth in rapid denial,
and she said she did not mean to hurt anybody that night.
The female officer pulled a pair of silver handcuffs out,
and she secured them tightly around Elise's pale wrists.
The metallic click echoed loudly in the silent room,
and it sounded like the final period at the end of a sentence.
My father rushed forward to block the police officers,
and he yelled that they had no right to arrest his daughter.
The detective warned my father to step back immediately,
and he said my father was also under official investigation.
He said tampering with evidence was a very serious felony,
and he said the auto shop owner had already given a statement.
My father’s face went completely pale at the harsh words,
and his false bravery vanished into the thin cold air.
He realized his money could not buy his way out of this,
and he realized his prestigious name meant absolutely nothing.
My mother tried to hug Elise before they took her away,
but the officers gently guided Elise out the front door.
Elise looked back at me one last time through the rain,
and her eyes were full of a desperate and pathetic fear.
I did not offer her a smile or a single word of comfort,
and I just watched the police car doors close behind her.
The detective told my father not to leave the city limits,
and he said they would be in touch very soon with warrants.
The police officers left the house and drove away slowly,
and the flashing lights disappeared down the dark wet street.
The dining room felt completely empty and incredibly cold,
and the smell of spilled coffee lingered in the heavy air.
My parents stood together in the center of the large room,
and they looked like two frightened and lost children.
I leaned heavily on my wooden cane and turned around,
and I walked toward the front door with Rowan by my side.
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My mother called out my name in a weak and shaky voice,
and she begged me not to leave them alone in the house.
