Lily: They're here, Mommy! The police are outside!
Clara: Use the kitchen intercom, Lily... tell them to use the emergency override key on the front gate...
Lily stood up, stepping over to the wall control panel beside the flag. She pressed the master speaker button, her voice remarkably clear and steady despite her young age.
Lily: Officer! We are inside the main house! The intruder is trapped in the hallway, and my mom needs a doctor right now!
Officer Vance: Hold tight, young lady! We are overriding the front gate now! Is the suspect armed?
Lily: He had a iron stick, but I knocked it away and pepper sprayed him! He's lying on the floor!
Officer Vance: Understood! Medical team is right behind us!
Down on the floor, Marcus let out a dry, hollow laugh, rubbing his burning face against his black shirt sleeve.
Marcus: You think you've won, Clara? My legal team will have me out on bail before breakfast tomorrow morning!
Clara: Not with the video evidence we have, Marcus.
Marcus: Video evidence? What video evidence? The power in this hall was cut when I tripped the breaker box outside!
Lily: The security cameras have battery backups, dummy!
Marcus froze, his red, swollen eyes opening slightly in absolute shock as he looked up toward the ceiling archway.
Lily: My dad installed the backup battery system last year so the cameras would record even if the power went out!
Clara: Every word you said, every swing of that iron poker, and your entire confession about the trust fund was recorded in four-K resolution on our cloud server.
Marcus slumped back against the marble tiles, his body going limp as his last desperate hope evaporated into thin air.
A loud electronic hiss sounded from the front entrance as the heavy steel shutter began to rise. Red and blue emergency lights flashed through the glass doors, illuminating the white marble foyer.
Heavy boots thundered into the house as four uniformed police officers rushed through the doors, followed by two paramedics carrying a orange trauma kit and a folding stretcher.
Officer Vance: Police! Nobody move! Where is the suspect?
Lily: He's right there on the floor! Don't let him get up!
Officer Vance: Securing the suspect! Get the cuffs on him!
Two officers dropped to their knees beside Marcus, pulling his large arms behind his back. The cold steel handcuffs clicked firmly around his wrists, locking him tight.
Marcus: Argh! Mind my arm! It's dislocated from the kick!
Officer Vance: Marcus Kane, you are under arrest for attempted murder, home invasion, felony assault, and corporate fraud.