Part 16
Sheriff Miller hauled Evan off the hood of the truck and led him toward the small holding facility at the back of the building. Evan spent the entire walk screaming threats, his voice echoing off the pine trees until the heavy metal door slammed shut behind him.
The parking lot fell into a sudden, beautiful silence.
Tom walked back out to where Maya and I were standing. He looked at the recorder still in my hand, then at Maya's bruised face.
"Let's go inside, get some coffee, and write this down properly," Tom said softly. "We'll get an emergency protective order filed before the sun goes down."
We spent the next two hours inside the station. Maya sat at a wooden desk, finally telling the whole story. She told them about the isolation, the financial control, the ways he would pinch her arms where the bruises wouldn't show, and how he had recently started doing the same to Lily.
I sat beside her, keeping a steady hand on her shoulder the entire time.
Just as Maya was finishing her official statement, a deputy walked into the room, holding a cell phone.
"Sheriff, we processed the suspect's personal property," the deputy said, looking uneasy. "His phone kept buzzing. He just received a text message from a hidden number. I think you need to see this."
May you like
Tom took the phone, read the screen, and his eyebrows shot up. He handed the device to me.
The text message read: The cops are at the house. I cleared out the safe like you asked. The passports and the cash are in the bag. Meet me at the airfield in thirty minutes.
