Chapter 4 - The Ring Camera Footage
Jacob stood frozen in the center of the ICU room, his face completely drained of color. He looked like a man who had been struck by lightning, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to process the doctor's words.
"No... no, that's impossible," Jacob stammered, shaking his head frantically. "Brenda wouldn't do that. She's my sister! She was just trying to help Helen with her swelling! She bought those teas from a high-end organic shop!"
"Mr. Swift," Detective Alvarez said, stepping between Jacob and my bed, his demeanor cold and professional. "We found an unsealed bottle of concentrated Black Cohosh extract and synthetic labor-inducing supplements in a trash bag outside your apartment during our initial sweep. We're having crime scene technicians process it for fingerprints right now."
"I want her arrested," I rasped, looking straight into Detective Alvarez’s eyes. "I want Brenda arrested for attempted murder and assault on my unborn children."
"Helen, stop!" Jacob yelled, stepping forward, his voice cracking with panic. "You're accusing my sister of attempted murder! Do you have any idea what that will do to my family?! My mother will have a heart attack! Brenda has a job, a life! You're emotional right now because of the shock—"
" emotional?!" I roared, pushing myself up against the pillows despite the blinding pain in my abdomen. "She poisoned me, Jacob! She fed me chemicals to kill my babies! And when that didn't work fast enough, she locked me outside in eighteen-degree weather to finish the job!"
"She didn't know you were carrying twins!" Jacob argued foolishly.
"So it would have been acceptable if she only killed one child?!" I screamed.
The heart monitor was wailing now, its high-pitched alarm filling the small ICU room. Dr. Chen immediately pushed Jacob toward the door.
"Out, Mr. Swift! Out right now!" Dr. Chen ordered. "Your wife’s blood pressure is spiking! You are endangering her life!"
"Helen, please! Don't do this! Talk to me first!" Jacob pleaded as the second police officer escorted him into the hallway.
Once the door slammed shut, Detective Alvarez pulled a chair up to my bedside. "Mrs. Swift, I need you to stay calm. We need a formal statement. Does your apartment complex have security cameras?"
I took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to control the rise and fall of my chest. "We... we have a Ring doorbell camera installed on the front porch. And there's a patio security camera attached to the brick wall of the balcony. I installed it six months ago because our upstairs neighbor was dropping cigarette butts onto our deck."
Detective Alvarez’s eyes lit up. "Does the balcony camera record audio?"
"Yes," I replied, grabbing my phone from the bedside tray. "It uploads automatically to a cloud server. I have the app on my phone."
With hands shaking so badly I could barely type my passcode, I opened the smart home application. I scrolled back through the cloud history to Thanksgiving night, 8:42 PM.
Detective Alvarez leaned over, watching the screen.
The video was crystal clear. It showed me stepping onto the balcony in my cardigan, picking up the soda bottles from the patio table. Behind me, the balcony door shut. Brenda stepped up to the glass, turned the thumb-latch deadbolt, and stood there with her arms crossed.
The audio captured my frantic pounding.
"Brenda! Open the door!"
"Maybe a little suffering will teach you not to be so weak," Brenda’s voice came through the speaker, crisp, cold, and calculated.
"Are you serious? I’m pregnant!"
Brenda rolled her eyes on the high-definition footage, snorted in disdain, and said, "You'll survive a few minutes. Maybe it'll rid this family of your lazy presence."
Then, she walked away, leaving me locked outside in the pitch-black cold.
Detective Alvarez watched the video twice. His jaw tightened so hard a muscle twitched in his cheek.
May you like
"Mrs. Swift," Detective Alvarez said, pulling out his official radio. "I am requesting a copy of this video file immediately. That isn't just evidence of reckless endangerment. That is premeditated torture and attempted feticide."
He raised the radio to his mouth. "Units 4 and 7, this is Alvarez. Issue an immediate felony arrest warrant for Brenda Swift. Proceed to 412 Maple Street. Primary charge: Attempted murder and aggravated felony assault."
