Chapter 6 - The Town Awakens
The revulsion that swept through the crowd was palpable.
Mrs. Donnelly broke the silence. She pushed past the yellow tape, completely ignoring Deputy Miller’s half-hearted attempt to stop her. She walked straight up to me, tears streaming down her wrinkled, aged face.
"Sarah," she sobbed, reaching out with shaking hands. "Oh, Sarah, my sweet girl... what did we do to you?"
I didn't answer. I couldn't. The lump in my throat was so large it felt like I was swallowing glass.
"We believed them," Mrs. Donnelly cried, turning to face the other neighbors. "Every Sunday in church, Eleanor asked for prayer requests for her 'wayward daughter locked in a state cell.' We prayed for you to find redemption! We looked down on you! And all the while, you were fighting for our country while these... these vipers stole everything you owned!"
Pastor Glenn stepped over the tape next. His silver cross swayed against his chest as he approached. His head was bowed, his face white with shame.
"Arthur," the pastor said, his voice trembling with a mixture of grief and wrath. "Three years ago, you donated ten thousand dollars to the church roof fund. You told the congregation it was an anonymous gift from an old family friend. Was that Sarah’s combat money?"
Arthur didn't answer. He backed slowly up the steps, his back hitting the locked front door. He looked up toward the second-floor window, seeking Eleanor, but the lace curtains had dropped shut. She had vanished from the window.
"Answer him, Arthur!" Mr. Holloway bellowed. "Tell the pastor how much of that church roof was paid for by the shrapnel that hit your own daughter’s spine!"
"Deputy Miller! Deputy Higgins!" Sheriff Walker barked suddenly, his voice snapping with authority. "Secure the perimeter around the house. Nobody leaves. Call for two additional units from the precinct. Now!"
"Sheriff, wait!" Chloe cried out, lunging toward Walker. "I didn't do anything! I was just in college! I didn't know where the money was coming from! Dad gave me an allowance! You can't arrest me!"
Special Agent Torres stepped in front of Chloe, producing his gold FBI shield. "Miss Mitchell, you are currently operating a luxury vehicle registered under an LLC that was funded entirely by wire transfers from an illicit military benefits account. Step away from the vehicle and keep your hands out of your pockets."
Chloe burst into loud, hysterical sobs, sinking to her knees in the driveway. The tortoiseshell sunglasses fell from her face, shattering on the concrete. Nobody moved to help her up. Not Mrs. Donnelly, not Pastor Glenn, not a single one of the neighbors who had pampered and praised her for twenty years.
From the front porch, the deadbolts clicked again.
Arthur was desperately trying to force his way back into the house, twisting the brass doorknob with both hands. "Eleanor! Open the door! Eleanor, let me in! They're calling the marshals! Open the damn door!"
From inside, a muffled, frantic voice could be heard through the heavy wood.
"Go away, Arthur! You ruined everything! You said they’d never find the letters! You said Holloway threw them in the trash!"
Eleanor Mitchell was eating her own husband alive to save herself.
May you like
The news cameraman didn't miss a second. The red recording light gleamed like an angry eye, broadcasting the collapse of the Mitchell family dynasty live to over fifty thousand viewers across North Georgia.
***
