Chapter 49 The Mask Cracks
Quinn used the last of her strength to kick Olive to the ground.
Just as Olive tried to scramble up and run, the door burst open. But she was already too late.
Firashed
“Don’t move!” Police officers stormed in, weapons drawn. “Hands on your head! Get against the wall”
Frozen in shock, Olive was quickly handcuffed.
“What are you doing?! Why are you arresting me?!”
She flailed, struggling against the officers. “You should be arresting her! She trespassed!”
An officer knelt beside Quinn and checked her pulse. She had already passed out.
“Quiet down. You can talk at the station.” The officer glanced at her. “You’re under suspicion of intentional assault. You’ll need to come with us.”
Olive scoffed, raising her chin defiantly. “Do you even know who I am? If you want to arrest me, you’d better have some proof. Otherwise, I swear you’ll regret it.”
The officers scanned the room and checked on the old man in the bed. His vitals were unstable, but his breathing had begun to steady.
A technician pulled the surveillance footage–and found it had been cut.
“Why’d you shut off the cameras?”
Olive’s voice was suddenly smooth and calculated. “Officer, this is my family’s home. I can stop the cameras whenever I want.”
“What about the girl on the floor? You didn’t knock her out?”
Olive blinked innocently, then suddenly burst into tears, sobbing loudly.
“Officer, you’ve got the wrong person! Look at the marks on my neck–she choked me! I just pushed her away in self–defense. She hit the bed herself. How is that my fault?”
From the scene, what she said could be plausible.
“The victim is still unconscious. We’ll investigate thoroughly before drawing any conclusions.”
Just then, the Fairchild family returned.
Seeing the entire house surrounded by law enforcement, Colton stormed in, demanding answers.
Olive immediately collapsed dramatically onto the floor. “Mom! Quinn tried to kill me the moment she got here–look at my neck!”
Betty rushed over, horrified by the red marks. “Oh my god! Are you okay? Did she hurt you anywhere else?”
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Chapter 49 The Mask Cracks
Though Norman’s condition had stabilized thanks to the Tranquil Pill, he hadn’t yet woken.
Everything was starting to tilt in Olive’s favor.
See, Quinn? Olive thought to herself, even the heavens are on my side.
Finished
Colton clearly believed her. After all, Quinn had always been at odds with them–and this seemed just like something she would do.
He handed out a few cigarette packs to the officers and smiled politely.
“This is clearly a misunderstanding–just a spat between sisters. Sorry for all the trouble.”
With the eldest Fairchild himself smoothing things over, giving both face and excuse, the officers hesitated.
The lead officer took the cigarettes and smiled. “As long as everything’s fine. But remember, false police reports are a serious offense.”
Colton chuckled. “Heh, must’ve been someone pranking us. Sorry to bother you gentlemen…”
But just then, a cold voice rang out at the door.
“I made the call.”
Everyone turned.
Zayden stood in the doorway, his arm cast shattered, looking disheveled and deadly serious.
And he was
dragging someone behind him-
It was Sam, bruised and bloody.
He’d tried to sneak out the back and run, but ran straight into Zayden. One quick beatdown later, Zayden brought him back.
Gasps filled the room. No one said a word.
“You want to tell me what’s really going on?” Zayden asked, low and dangerous. He leaned in close to Sam’s ear. “I found Ethan. What you say next decides whether he lives.”
Sam snapped his head around, eyes wide. “You…”
Zayden pulled out his phone and showed him a picture of Ethan–alive, but clearly roughed up. Then he dropped Sam to the floor.
Sam crouched low, clutching his hair, his voice hoarse.
He looked up–saw Olive’s eyes locked on him. She didn’t speak, but the threat was there. She had leverage on him. Damning leverage.
Zayden turned to the police and pointed. “This guy? He was sneaking around acting shady. I tried to stop him and he punched me. I’ve got a broken arm. That’s aggravated assault, isn’t it?”
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Chapter 49 The Mask Cracks
And from the looks of it, the story wasn’t quite what they’d been told.
19
*.66%
Finished
פור