Martha: Who called the police to this private property[cite: 4]?!
Jack: I called them from my truck the second I saw the padlock on that freezer[cite: 1, 4].
Martha: You brought the authorities to our family mansion over a household argument[cite: 4]?!
Jack: This is not an argument, Martha. This is attempted capital murder of a child[cite: 2, 4].
Four uniformed Texas state troopers marched into the garage, led by Captain Miller from the Major Crimes Division[cite: 4].
Captain Miller: Jack Sterling? We received your emergency dispatch regarding child endangerment[cite: 2, 4].
Jack: Over here, Captain. The suspect is standing right by the interior entrance[cite: 4].
Martha: Captain Miller, wait! This is my stepson, and he is suffering from severe military paranoia[cite: 4]!
Captain Miller looked at Martha's rumpled beige coat and the red handprint across her cheek with stony indifference[cite: 4].
Captain Miller: Step away from the door, ma'am. Keep your hands where we can see them[cite: 4].
Martha: Jack assaulted me! He struck me in the face without warning[cite: 4, 5]!
Captain Miller: Under Texas Penal Code Section 9.32, a parent is fully justified in using physical force to protect a minor from imminent death[cite: 2, 4].
Martha: Nobody was facing death! The girl was playing inside an unplugged freezer[cite: 1, 4]!
Captain Miller walked over to the chest freezer, placing his gloved hand on the humming compressor unit at the base[cite: 1, 4].
A thick layer of white frost covered the cooling vents, and the metal interior walls were caked in ice[cite: 1, 4].
Captain Miller: This unit is running at minus ten degrees Fahrenheit, Mrs. Vance[cite: 1, 4].
Martha: I didn't know it was turned on! The gardeners must have plugged it in this morning[cite: 4]!
Jack: The gardeners don't carry the key to this garage, Martha. Only you and I have access[cite: 4].
Captain Miller: Where is the victim right now, Mr. Sterling[cite: 2, 4]?
Jack: In the kitchen with our housekeeper. The pediatric paramedic is on his way[cite: 2, 4].
Trooper Davis stepped inside the house, returning seconds later carrying a small digital thermometer[cite: 4].
Trooper Davis: Captain, the child's core body temperature is ninety-three degrees. She is in Stage Two hypothermia