Chapter 3 - The Unblinking Eye
Detective Marcus Miller was a seasoned investigator who had seen the worst of humanity.
He sat across from me in the hospital cafeteria with a tablet in his hand.
It was four in the morning.
Sophie was finally asleep in her recovery room.
"Mrs. Vance, I want to show you something," Detective Miller said softly.
He slid the tablet across the table.
The screen displayed the high-definition, color footage from the Whitmore Hotel ballroom.
The angle was perfectly positioned over the main floor.
"Watch the time-stamp at 8:14 PM," he instructed.
I stared at the screen.
The footage showed my daughter walking back to our table from the bathroom.
Preston suddenly intercepted her path.
He knelt down, pretending to fix the collar of her jacket.
With a swift, practiced motion, he slipped his titanium iPhone into her pocket.
He patted her shoulder and walked away.
I gasped, covering my mouth as tears of rage filled my eyes.
"He planned it," I whispered.
"He actually planned to humiliate an eight-year-old."
"Keep watching," the detective replied grimly.
The footage fast-forwarded to the horrific confrontation.
It clearly captured Preston marching over, screaming at my child.
It showed me standing between them.
Then, the brutal climax played out in shocking high resolution.
Preston grabbing the heavy wooden board.
Raising it like a weapon.
Swinging it with maximum force directly into my child’s skull.
The violence was even more sickening on tape.
"Your brother claimed she attacked him first," Detective Miller stated flatly.
"He claimed self-defense."
"He even convinced your parents to sign witness statements corroborating his lie."
I looked up at the detective.
"What happens now?"
The detective took the tablet back and stood up.
"Now, I go to work."
"We just secured a felony arrest warrant from a judge."
"Preston Vance is going to wake up to a very unpleasant reality."
I felt a fierce, burning satisfaction ignite in my chest.
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The golden child had finally flown too close to the sun.
And the camera caught his wings melting.
