Two police cruisers pulled up the long estate driveway quickly.
Red and blue lights flashed against the large front windows.
Dominic opened the heavy front door to let the officers inside.
A tall sheriff walked into the foyer with two deputies.
Sheriff: Mr. Vance, we received your emergency call about captivity.
Dominic: Sheriff, my wife was locked in a hidden cellar room.
Dominic pointed toward Evelyn who sat silently near the doorway.
The deputies walked straight over to Evelyn and stood nearby.
Sheriff: Ma'am, is what this man saying accurate today?
Evelyn: This is a simple private family dispute over paperwork.
Clara: She kept me locked without light or food for days.
The sheriff looked at Clara's pale skin and bruised wrists.
He saw the clear terror still lingering in her eyes.
Sheriff: Ma'am, I need you to step forward right now.
Evelyn: You have no right to treat me like this!
Sheriff: You are under arrest for kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment.
The deputy turned Evelyn around and placed handcuffs on her wrists.
Evelyn dropped her leather folder onto the polished floor.
Legal paper documents scattered across the bright marble tiles.
Dominic stepped on one of the documents with his shoe.
It was a fraudulent transfer deed for Clara's trust money.
Dominic: You tried to steal everything Clara owned.
Evelyn: Dominic, please talk to them, don't let them take me!
Dominic: You made your choice when you turned that iron key.
The deputies escorted Evelyn out the front double doors.
She looked back one last time with tears of anger.
The heavy oak front door closed shut behind her departure.
An paramedic team entered the house with medical gear bags.
They began checking Clara's vital signs on the living sofa.
Paramedic: Her heart rate is fast, but she is stable.
Dominic: Does she need to go to the hospital right away?
Paramedic: We should take her for a full medical checkup.
Clara held Dominic's hand while the team helped her up.
Clara: I want Dominic and Harper to come with me.
Sheriff: Of course, ma'am, your family can stay right beside you.