6
Just as Detective West was about to speak, my father shouted angrily.
“Justice is in the hands of the people! Scum like him doesn’t deserve to live another second!”
“I say we take matters into our own hands and put this bastard down!”
I clenched my fists as I stared at my father, his face twisted with righteous indignation. It was obvious he was trying to provoke the grieving family into attacking me.
The expressions on the victim’s family members grew darker and more terrifying. Their grief had turned into a dangerous, volatile rage.
My mind flashed back to my childhood. My father had abandoned us when I was young, leaving my mother to raise me on her own.
She worked tirelessly, running a small business while caring for me. She made sure I never went without–everything other kids had, I had too.
Over time, her business grew until she became incredibly successful. By the time I was in college, my family was
millions.
But just as she was finally in a position to enjoy her hard–earned success, the stress and exhaustion caught up with her. She before she could reap the rewards of her sacrifices.
After my mother’s death, my father reappeared out of nowhere. He wanted a share of the family fortune.
I refused outright. To me, he was nothing more than a stranger–a man who had abandoned us when we needed him most.
When his repeated attempts to claim the inheritance failed, he harbored a deep resentment toward me.
And now, here he was, standing in front of a furious mob, lying through his teeth just to see me destroyed.
The crowd, riled up by my father’s impassioned speech, began shoving and pushing.
They were trying to force their way past the police, clearing a path for the victim’s family to take their revenge.
“This scumbag deserves justice!”
“Let the family handle it!”
“Support! Let them do what needs to be done!”
passed away
The grieving husband and father, clutching the small knife, locked eyes with me. Their expressions were resolute as they pushed forward.
3:05 PM
<
Detective West, who had been silently observing the situation, finally shouted, raising his hand to catch everyone’s attention.
“Wait! Everyone, listen up!”
He pointed to the video footage on his phone.
“First of all, the timeline doesn’t add up.”
“Second, look at the shadow cast by the evening sun in this frame–it doesn’t match Zach Sullivan’s build.”
Before anyone could respond, one of the officers on duty suddenly exclaimed, “Oh! I remember now! Around that time, our captain borrowed a yellow coat to go grab dinner!”
The reporters and onlookers fell silent, their expressions shifting as they began to pick up on the inconsistencies in the story.
Even the victim’s family, though still filled with grief and anger, hesitated. They didn’t want to let the real culprit go unpunished, but they also didn’t want to mistakenly harm an innocent person.
Detective West pressed on, raising his voice to ensure everyone could hear him.
“Zach Sullivan reached out to me earlier to investigate something.”
“And during my investigation, I uncovered something important–critical, in fact–about his wife, Hannah, and Liam Reed.”
“As it turns out, Liam was involved in a hit–and–run accident!”
