Chapter 4 - The Developer’s Signature
“Where is the phone?” I demanded, stepping over the shattered glass on the kitchen floor and grabbing Brenda by the collar of her designer sweater, jerking her upright with effortless strength.
“In—in my coat pocket!” she gasped, tears finally spilling over her cheeks as she clawed weakly at my wrists. “Shawn, please! Don't call the police! If the state finds out, the land deal collapses! The developer has already paid the earnest money! We can split it—we can split it fifty-fifty!”
I stared at her in sheer disbelief. Even now, with our parents starving and bruised in a cellar just a few feet away, her only currency was greed.
I shoved her away from me, sending her crashing back against the counter. I reached into her coat pocket, yanked out her smartphone, and unlocked it using her face before she could blink. I dialed 911 immediately, hitting speakerphone so the dispatcher’s sharp voice filled the kitchen.
“911 emergency, what is your location?”
“I need police and an ambulance at 414 Pine Ridge Road immediately,” I said, keeping my eyes locked on my cowering sister. “My parents have been unlawfully imprisoned and starved in the basement of this residence by my sister.”
“Sir, stay calm. Are the suspects on the scene?”
“Yes. She’s right here.”
“Police units are already in your area. They will be at your location in less than three minutes. Do not engage physically, keep yourself and any victims safe.”
The line clicked. I lowered the phone, my breathing ragged.
Brenda slumped against the kitchen cabinets, pulling her knees up to her chest and sobbing hysterically. “You ruined everything, Shawn. You just had to come back for Christmas, didn't you? Why couldn't you just stay away?”
“Because I finally grew up, Brenda,” I said coldly.
I turned away from her, grabbed a heavy iron crowbar leaning against the pantry wall that Dad must have used for woodworking years ago, and ran back down into the cellar.
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With three massive, adrenaline-fueled strikes against the rusty padlock securing the iron gate, the heavy steel shackle snapped. I pulled the gate wide open, dropped to my knees, and pulled my mother into my arms.
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