Chapter 5
The interrogation room was painfully bright, the harsh overhead lights casting long, stark shadows across the concrete walls. Diana Harrington sat perfectly upright in the metal chair, her hands cuffed to the steel table in front of her. Despite the arrest, her fair, rosy skin was perfectly powdered, and her pearl earrings still hung elegantly from her lobes. She projected an aura of untouchable arrogance.
The heavy metal door clicked open, and Robert stepped into the room. He didn't carry a notepad or a recorder. He simply pulled out the chair across from her and sat down, staring at her with cold, dead eyes.
"Sheriff Ramirez," Diana said, offering a brittle, condescending smile. "I see you've calmed down from your little temper tantrum on my porch. My lawyer will be here in fifteen minutes, and I expect you to have my release papers finalized by then."
"Your lawyer isn't coming, Diana," Robert stated, his voice a low, vibrating hum of restrained fury. "I rerouted him to the wrong courthouse. We have at least an hour before anyone knows where you are."
Diana’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second before returning. "You are playing a very dangerous game, Robert. You assaulted me. You violated my civil rights. I will take your badge, your pension, and your house."
"You chained my daughter to a wooden pillar in ninety-five-degree heat," Robert fired back, slamming his heavy fists onto the steel table. The loud bang made Diana flinch violently. "You left a five-year-old girl with a heart condition to die on your porch."
"She was trespassing!" Diana argued, her voice rising in defensive anger. "She broke into my yard! I simply detained her until the authorities could arrive!"
"You didn't call the authorities, Diana. Mrs. Gable did," Robert corrected her, pulling the printed spreadsheet from his pocket and sliding it across the table. "And Emma didn't wander into your yard. You took her. You snatched her from her elementary school playground. We have the ledger."
Diana looked down at the paper, her rosy complexion paling instantly. She swallowed hard, realizing the narrative she had constructed was collapsing.
"I don't know what that is," Diana lied smoothly, turning her face away. "It looks like fabricated evidence to justify your illegal arrest."
"It's a ledger of children, Diana," Robert pressed, leaning across the table until he was inches from her face. "Children with pre-existing medical conditions. You’ve been working with a corrupt adoption agency to traffic kids out of the foster system. But Emma wasn't a foster kid. You made a mistake. You took the Sheriff's daughter."
Diana stared back at him, the aristocratic facade finally dropping to reveal the vile, rotting core underneath. She let out a dark, humorless laugh.
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"You think you're so smart, Ramirez," Diana whispered, her voice dripping with venom. "You think you can stop this? The people I work for own this entire state. They buy judges like they buy coffee. You can't touch me."
"I don't need to touch you legally," Robert said softly, placing his hand over his holstered sidearm. "I just need you to tell me where the rest of the children are."
