Chapter 5 - The Police cruiser at the Curb
Before Claire could launch herself off the grass, the deep, rhythmic thrum of a cruiser engine echoed down the street.
A Maple Ridge police cruiser—Unit 404, driven by Officer Miller, an old high school classmate of mine—glided up to the curb behind the rented van. The red and blue light bar wasn't flashing, but its presence alone made Uncle Rob take two quick steps backward toward the open van door.
Officer Miller stepped out, adjusting his heavy utility belt against the cold wind. He looked at Claire kneeling in the wet grass, my mother leaning against the van bumper, and Madison crying loudly into Lily’s shoulder.
Then he looked at me standing on the walkway with my bandaged hand resting calmly in my jacket pocket.
"Afternoon, Daniel," Officer Miller said, walking up the driveway. "Got a call from Marcus Vance’s office about a trespass and property dispute involving fraudulent mortgage documents."
"Afternoon, Tom," I said, nodding toward the group on the lawn. "These folks seem to think they still live here. But as you can see from the eviction notice served forty-eight hours ago, their residency was terminated under fraudulent occupancy terms."
Claire scrambled to her feet, mud staining the knees of her expensive white designer jeans. "Tom! You know me! We go to the same country club mixers! My husband has gone insane—he’s locking us out in the middle of November with nowhere to go!"
Tom Miller looked at Claire with a completely neutral, professional expression.
"Ma'am, Mr. Vance filed certified copies of the forged mortgage applications and the bank transfer logs with the precinct at 8:00 AM this morning," Tom said, resting his hand on his holster. "Furthermore, there’s an active complaint regarding the abandonment of a minor—your stepson—without provisions or emergency funds for three days."
Madison let out a loud, theatrical shriek. "We didn't abandon him! He’s old enough to make his own Pop-Tarts!"
"Leaving a sixteen-year-old minor alone in a residence while disabling his communication lines and draining his father’s accounts constitutes child endangerment under Ohio law," Tom replied smoothly. "Now, you all have two choices. You can pack your remaining luggage out of that rental van, gather your things from the garage pile, and find a hotel in downtown Cleveland... or you can accompany me down to the station to answer some questions about wire fraud and signature forgery."
Uncle Rob didn't hesitate. He dived into the driver’s seat of the van, slamming the door shut and locking it from the inside.
"Rob! You coward!" Claire yelled, beating her fists against the passenger window.
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Rob rolled the window down two inches, his face gray with panic. "Look, Claire, I told you this was a bad idea! I’m going back to my apartment. Call a lawyer!"
With a screech of tires and a spray of dirty water from the gutter, the rental van fishtailed down the street and disappeared around the corner, leaving Claire, my mother, Madison, and Lily standing stranded in the freezing Maple Ridge wind.
