Chapter 4 - Under Federal Law
By midnight, the estate on Oakridge Estates was completely locked down. Crime scene tape crisscrossed the wrought-iron front gates. Local reporters, tipped off by police scanner traffic and federal jurisdiction alerts, were already swarming the perimeter road, their camera flashes strobing against the brick exterior.
I sat with Maya in the back of an unmarked federal transport vehicle parked a safe distance away. A female paramedic had checked her over, ensuring she was physically unharmed, though the psychological trauma would take years to heal.
Agent Vance slid into the front passenger seat, turning around to look at us with a sympathetic expression that softened his hard federal demeanor.
"Mr. Miller," Vance began quietly, holding out a clipboard. "We've secured the primary evidence. The local coroner's lab is already processing the meat samples from the kitchen and the freezer to confirm everything under forensic toxicology. It’s an open-and-shut case under the PACT Act."
"What kind of time are they facing?" I asked, keeping my hand gently resting on Maya’s knee.
"Under federal guidelines, intentional cruelty and killing of a registered service animal carries up to seven years in federal prison per count," Vance replied, flipping a page. "Add in the conspiracy charges, interstate elements if they transported any part of the animal across state lines—which preliminary logs suggest they did when they took the dog to their butcher friend in Indiana—and we're looking at a minimum of fifteen to twenty years without parole. For both of them."
Good. Let them rot.
"What about the note?" I asked, recalling the black marker message taped to Maya's door.
"We bagged it," Vance nodded. "Forensics lifted Arthur’s fingerprints directly off the paper. There’s no denying premeditation. They planned this meticulously while you were away at your regional warehouse meeting."
A cold realization washed over me. They didn't just do this on an impulsive whim. They had waited for me to leave town for work so they could execute their cruel little lesson against my daughter, assuming they could break her spirit and force her into submission.
May you like
"Agent Vance," I said, my voice steady. "I want to press every single charge available. No plea deals. No leniency."
Vance gave a solemn, respectful nod. "Mr. Miller, based on what my team found in that basement, the U.S. Attorney’s office isn't going to offer any deals anyway. This is one of the most depraved cases of domestic cruelty our division has seen in a decade."
