Chapter 6 - Thomas Tries To Defend The Indefensible
The video looped silently in the palm of my hand, casting a pale glow over Thomas and Linda’s horrified faces. Mason’s fake tears instantly dried up, his jaw dropping as he realized his clever little prank had been captured in high-definition 4K.
“That... that’s a deepfake!” Thomas stammered frantically, pointing a shaking finger at my tablet screen. “Anyone can manipulate digital video these days! You’re just trying to ruin my son’s reputation because you’ve always envied our family!”
Officer Ruiz stepped forward, sliding her own department-issued tablet onto the tray table above Noah’s bed. “That footage was pulled directly from the Denver County municipal cloud server via a subpoena issued twenty minutes ago, Mr. Whitaker.”
Linda grabbed her husband’s arm, her face turning chalk-white as the legal gravity of the situation finally settled over them. “Thomas, stop talking,” she whispered urgently, realizing that digging their heels in deeper would only guarantee prison time for Arthur.
“We were just trying to teach the boy a lesson about honesty!” Arthur roared from where he stood cuffed to the metal chair by Officer Ruiz. “In my day, a little cold air character-built unruly children into decent men!”
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“Hypothermia and frostbite aren't character builders, Arthur, they’re medical emergencies,” I snapped, turning my back on him to check Noah’s intravenous drip. The heart monitor beeped a steady, reassuring rhythm, reminding me that my son was still breathing.
“You’re going to regret this, Lila,” Thomas hissed venomously, grabbing Mason by the shoulder and pulling the boy backward toward the exit. “When Daniel finds out his wife is putting his entire family behind bars, your marriage will be finished before the week is over.”
