HE CAME HOME EARLY AND CAUGHT HIS WIFE BEATING HIS 75-YEAR-OLD MOTHER WITH A BASEBALL BAT—WHAT HE DID NEXT LEFT EVERYONE TERRIFIED! / Chapter 4 / 70

Chapter 4 - The Siren's Echo

The high-pitched wail of approaching sirens broke through the heavy, suffocating atmosphere of the estate.

Two Westchester County police cruisers, followed closely by a large municipal ambulance, roared up the long winding driveway, their flashing red and blue lights painting the trees outside in stark emergency colors.

The screech of heavy tires on loose gravel signaled the arrival of the outside world into the private hell of the St. Claire mansion.

Evelyn’s eyes darted frantically toward the tall front foyer windows, her breath turning into short, panicked gasps.

"Julian, cancel them! Call them off right now!" Evelyn demanded, her aristocratic composure completely shattering into hysteria.

"If the police come inside, the press will find out about this within an hour!" Evelyn shrieked, grasping at her last remaining leverage.

"Think about your company's stock! Think about your merger with the European conglomerate!" she pleaded, clawing at Julian’s lapel.

"A domestic violence scandal will utterly obliterate your board position, Julian! We can handle this privately!" she begged.

Julian didn't even blink as he grabbed her wrists and peeled her fingers off his suit with cold, calculated disgust.

"My mother’s life is worth more than every single dollar this family will ever earn," Julian said, shoving her firmly away from him.

The heavy front double doors flew open with a bang, and four armed police officers rushed inside with their hands resting on their holstered sidearms.

"Police department! Nobody move!" shouted a tall, weathered veteran officer with gray hair and a stern, weathered jaw.

Close behind the officers were three emergency paramedics carrying bright orange trauma kits, heavy oxygen tanks, and a collapsible stretcher.

"In here! The conservatory sitting salon!" Julian’s commanding voice echoed back down the hall.

The first responders poured into the room, their eyes immediately taking in the horrific carnage spread across the pristine checkered floor.

The lead paramedic, a woman with sharp, professional eyes, immediately dropped to her knees beside Eleanor.

"Female, approximately seventy-five years old, suffering from visible blunt force trauma to the cranium and upper torso," the medic barked into her radio.

"I need high-flow oxygen, cervical collar, and an IV line started immediately!" she shouted to her partner.

Eleanor let out a sharp cry of agony as the paramedics gently shifted her frail body to check her spine.

"Mom, I'm right here, squeeze my hand," Julian said, crouching low, holding Eleanor’s cold fingers between both of his palms.

"She has at least three fractured ribs on her left side, and her pulse is dangerously thready," the second paramedic reported grimly.

Meanwhile, the lead police officer, Detective Vance, approached the center of the room, his eyes scanning the silver bat coated in blood.

"Officer, thank God you're here!" Evelyn suddenly shrieked, throwing herself toward Detective Vance with theatrical sobs.

"My husband just assaulted me! Look at what he did to my ribs!" Evelyn cried, pointing to the scuff marks on her designer dress.

"His mother had an episode of severe dementia and attacked both me and the maid with a weapon!" Evelyn lied with breathtaking audacity.

"I had to wrestle the bat away from her to save our lives, and then my husband burst in and attacked me from behind!" she wailed.

Detective Vance looked down at Evelyn, then shifted his gaze toward Maria, who was still kneeling on the floor holding a bloody towel to her face.

"Is that what happened, ma'am?" Detective Vance asked Maria directly, his voice skeptical and sharp.

Maria wiped the blood from her mouth, stood up slowly despite the pain in her ribs, and looked directly into the officer's eyes.

"No, officer," Maria said clearly, her voice echoing through the silent room.

"Mrs. St. Claire is lying through her teeth," Maria declared without a shred of hesitation.

"She took that baseball bat from Mr. St. Claire’s office deliberately," Maria testified, pointing an accusing finger at Evelyn.

"She pushed Mrs. Eleanor out of her chair, stomped on her chest, and struck her twice with that metal bat while she was begging for mercy," Maria stated firmly.

"And when I threw myself over the old lady to shield her, Mrs. Evelyn hit me in the face with her closed fist and kicked me in the ribs," Maria added.

Evelyn’s face flushed bright scarlet with explosive rage.

"You lying peasant tramp! You're fired! Get out of my house before I have you deported!" Evelyn screamed at the top of her lungs.