Chapter 5 - The Execution of the Search Warrant
Detective Miller walked briskly up to my driver's side door and tapped on the glass. I pressed the button to roll it down, letting in the cool rush of air and the flashing pulse of the emergency lights.
"Mr. Carter," Miller said, his expression grim and professional. "Are you and Emily alright?"
"We're physically intact, Detective, but she's deeply traumatized," I replied, my voice shaking with lingering adrenaline. "She was locked in that dog cage for days, Miller. And you need to look at that pool. Mrs. Harris saw Jason dumping heavy black bags into it last night."
Miller nodded grimly. "We've already called for a tactical dive team and crime scene investigators. The judge signed the emergency warrant five minutes ago. We're going in."
He gestured to two female officers who had just stepped out of a van. They walked over to my passenger side, gently opening the door with warm, reassuring smiles.
"Hi there, Emily," one of the officers said softly, crouching down to her eye level. "My name is Officer Davis. We're going to step out of the car now, and I've got a warm blanket and some medical folks in the ambulance just down the street who want to check you over. Would you like to come with me?"
Emily looked at me, seeking permission. I nodded, squeezing her small hand. "Go with her, sweetheart. I'll be right beside you the whole time."
As paramedics wrapped Emily in a sterile foil blanket and led her toward the ambulance, Detective Miller led a team of four officers toward Sarah’s back gate. Sarah was standing on her back patio now, screaming curses at the top of her lungs, demanding to see a warrant while a burly officer gently but firmly guided her away from the house and placed her in handcuffs against the hood of a third cruiser.
I stood by the edge of the yard, watching the crime scene tape go up.
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Two men in heavy black wetsuits and oxygen tanks—members of the county dive unit—walked through the back gate carrying heavy gear cases. They didn't waste any time. Without a word, they walked straight to the edge of the murky, green swimming pool, strapped on their masks, and slipped silently into the dark water.
The surface bubbled gently, releasing a foul, rotting stench of stagnant algae and something much heavier, much more metallic.
