Chapter 11 - THE ESCAPE THROUGH THE CHUTE
Young Leo squeezed his thin frame into the dark, dusty opening of the old coal chute behind the kitchen pantry.
David pushed him gently from behind, guiding his feet until the boy was fully inside the iron-lined tunnel.
"Remember, Leo... run straight across the meadow to Mr. Henderson’s house and tell him to call the Sheriff," David whispered.
The boy nodded bravely, using his elbows to drag himself upward through the steep, narrow passage toward the snowy outside world.
Meanwhile, Margaret stood before the glowing tablet on the kitchen island, her index finger hovering over the signature box.
"Chloe, are you listening?" Margaret called out to the silent room, knowing the daughter-in-law was monitoring the tablet's front camera.
"I am watching your every move, Margaret... you have twenty-nine minutes before the gas valve opens," Chloe’s voice came through the tablet speaker.
"I am signing the deed now, but I require proof that the exterior locks are capable of being released remotely," Margaret bargained.
"Sign first, old woman! You don't get to negotiate when I hold the trigger!" Chloe snapped back with unbridled arrogance.
Margaret deliberately dropped her finger, writing a messy, incomplete scribble across the digital signature line.
"The system requires a clear, full signature, Chloe... if I stop halfway, the transfer fails," Margaret bluffed smoothly.
May you like
Outside, at the top of the coal chute, Leo kicked open the rusted iron exterior latch and tumbled out into the freezing snowstorm.
***
