Chapter 9 - SAFE AT LAST
Three hours later, the blinking red and blue lights of half a dozen police cruisers illuminated the rainy mountain road.
Owen and I sat in the back of an ambulance. A paramedic had draped thick, warm blankets over our shoulders.
I held my son tight, resting my chin on top of his head. He was safe. He was unharmed.
A state trooper walked up to the back doors of the ambulance. He removed his hat, looking exhausted.
“Ma'am,” the trooper said softly. “We found the vehicle at the bottom of the ravine. Neither man survived the crash.”
I closed my eyes. A complex wave of grief and immense relief washed over me. The monster I had unknowingly married was gone.
“We also spoke with local authorities back in Greenville,” the trooper continued. “They found your mother-in-law, Judith. She walked into the precinct an hour ago. She handed over a laptop, financial records, and a recorded confession detailing her son’s entire plot to murder you for the trust fund. She said she wanted to make sure he could never hurt you again.”
Tears spilled down my cheeks. Judith had chosen us in the end.
“You’re safe now, Mrs. Marlowe. Both of you.”
The trooper tipped his hat and walked away to coordinate the tow trucks.
I looked down at Owen. He was clutching the small, folded napkin in his hand. The one he had slipped me at dinner hours ago.
“Mom?” he asked quietly, looking up at me.
“Yes, my brave boy?”
“Are we going home now?”
I looked out at the dark trees, then down at my incredible, perceptive son who had saved my life.
“Yes,” I said, kissing his forehead. “We’re going home. Just you and me. And nobody is ever going to hurt us again.”
Owen smiled, finally letting the tension leave his small body. He leaned against my chest and closed his eyes.
May you like
The rain continued to fall outside, but inside the ambulance, wrapped in the warmth of the blanket and the certainty of our survival, I finally felt at peace.
We had survived the night. We were free.
