Chapter 8 - The Law Arrives
The heavy glass rooftop entrance doors burst open once more, this time with the sharp, authoritative force of law.
Two uniformed police officers charged onto the terrace, their hands resting firmly upon their duty holsters.
They surveyed the wreckage instantly: the overturned cocktail table, the shattered glass, the soaked women, and the pooling water.
Behind the officers, several terrified party guests peered through the transparent glass, whispering in sheer horror.
Victoria saw the blue uniforms and immediately attempted to morph her demonic rage into frail, victimized tears.
"Officers! Thank God you're here!" Victoria cried, stumbling forward with her hands dramatically clasped to her chest.
"My brother has gone completely insane! He attacked me, threw me into the furniture, look at my bleeding hands!" she sobbed theatrically.
The lead officer, a seasoned veteran with a stern jaw, held up a gloved hand to halt her advance.
"Stay right where you are, ma'am. Do not move an inch," the officer commanded, his eyes scanning the shattered glass around her feet.
The second officer immediately bypassed Victoria, rushing straight toward the lounge chair where Elena lay trembling beneath the towels.
"Ma'am, are you injured? Are you having contractions?" the second officer asked urgently, kneeling beside the soaked pregnant woman.
"She was submerged underwater for nearly two minutes while strapped into a weighted wheelchair," Maya explained clearly and concisely.
"She is eight months pregnant. We need emergency medical services up here immediately," Maya added with total medical urgency.
The officer keyed his shoulder radio instantly, his voice urgent as he called for a priority pediatric trauma team.
Victoria realized within seconds that her performance was completely failing to sway the responding officers.
"She fell! It was an unfortunate slip! I tried to grab the chair, but it was too heavy!" Victoria shouted, her voice cracking with desperation.
Julian stepped between his sister and the lead officer, pulling a small silver remote from his suit pocket.
"Officer, this terrace is equipped with four 4K high-definition security cameras recording directly to an off-site cloud server," Julian said.
He pointed toward the discrete dark lenses mounted high on the penthouse pergola overlooking the swimming pool.
Victoria’s face drained of every last drop of color, turning a sickly, ghostly white beneath her smeared makeup.
Her mouth fell open in silent, paralyzed terror as she realized the entire murder attempt was preserved in perfect cinematic detail.
"We will review every single second of that footage, sir," the lead officer replied, unhooking a pair of steel handcuffs from his utility belt.
Victoria began to back away slowly toward the glass railing, her eyes wild like a cornered animal facing the slaughterhouse.
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"No... you don't understand... he manipulated everything... she doesn't belong here..." Victoria stammered incoherently.
"Turn around and place your hands behind your back, Ms. Sterling," the officer ordered, stepping purposefully through the broken glass.
