Chapter 8 - The Alarm in the Precinct
Ten miles away, inside the downtown precinct office, Officer Ray Vance sat at his desk writing a shift report.
Officer Ray was not just any tactical law enforcement officer—he was Clara’s older cousin on her mother's side, a veteran officer who had grown deeply suspicious when Marcus had claimed Clara had suddenly cut off all communication and flown to Europe three days ago.
Ray’s personal phone buzzed violently on his desk. An automated high-priority alert popped up on his screen: FOUNDATION LIVE EMERGENCY BROADCAST INITIATED.
Ray clicked the notification immediately.
The screen filled with the dark, grainy image of a concrete floor, iron bars, and Clara’s bruised face pressed against the floorboards.
"If anyone is watching this..." Clara’s recorded voice whispered through the phone speaker, "Marcus locked me in a cage beneath the furnace... my contractions are starting... he's going to force me to sign the trust..."
Ray stood up so fast his heavy desk chair crashed backward onto the floor.
"Sarge!" Ray bellowed across the squad room, grabbing his tactical helmet and vest off the rack. "We need an emergency entry team at the Vance estate right now! It’s my cousin—he’s got her trapped underground!"
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The entire shift commander squad moved into action in less than thirty seconds.
👉 What did Marcus do when he heard the heavy footsteps approaching the basement door upstairs?
