Chapter 4 - THE INVESTIGATION OF THE MANSION
By 1:00 a.m., the Bennett mansion was no longer a quiet sanctuary of wealth. It had become a high-security crime scene.
Two state police cruisers were parked out front, their red and blue lights casting an eerie, rhythmic strobe against the white marble pillars of the portico. Inside, detectives from the special victims unit were reviewing the digital archives pulled directly from the mansion’s master security server.
Richard sat in his home office, staring blankly out the window into the dark rain.
The door opened softly, and Detective Sergeant Vance stepped inside, holding a thick tablet computer. His face was grim, tight with the professional disgust of a man who had seen the worst of human nature and still found himself shocked by what he had just witnessed.
“Mr. Bennett?” Vance said quietly.
Richard turned around. “Did you review the files?”
“We did,” Vance replied, setting the tablet on the mahogany desk. “Every single file. Mr. Bennett, I have to be honest with you. In my fifteen years on the force, I’ve investigated horrific cases of domestic abuse. But what I saw on those cameras over the last six months… it’s systematic, psychological and physical torture.”
Richard closed his eyes, a fresh wave of agony twisting his gut. “How bad is it, Sergeant?”
“It started small,” Vance explained, tapping the screen to bring up a timeline of video logs. “Withholding dinner privileges when Lily didn't finish chores that an eight-year-old shouldn't even be doing. Then isolation—locking the children in the upstairs nursery for days while Mrs. Gable was sent on fabricated errands. And over the last month, it escalated to physical intimidation, verbal abuse telling the little girl her mother died because of her, and tonight... forcing them outside into the elements.”
Vance paused, watching Richard’s reaction closely.
“The district prosecutor has already reviewed the emergency clips I sent over encrypted channels an hour ago,” Vance continued. “Warrants have been issued. Your wife isn't just facing civil divorce fraud; she’s facing multiple felony counts of child abuse, endangerment, and willful infliction of severe emotional distress. She’s not walking away from this with a settlement, Mr. Bennett. She’s looking at a long, hard prison sentence.”
“Good,” Richard said, his voice flat, devoid of mercy. “Lock her up and throw away the key.”
“Where is she now?”
“Locked in the guest wing upstairs, with two of your officers guarding the door,” Richard said. “She tried to smash her phone and destroy her passport when she realized I wasn't bluffing. My security team detained her before she could hurt herself or anyone else.”
Vance nodded approvingly. “We’ll take it from here. But Mr. Bennett… you have a long road ahead of you with those kids. CPS has already been notified as a matter of protocol, though given your immediate intervention and cooperation, custody is secure. But the psychological damage on that little girl... it’s going to take years to undo.”
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Richard stood up, his jaw set with fierce, unyielding determination.
“I failed them once because I was blind,” Richard said, his voice ringing with absolute conviction. “I will spend every breath I have left making sure they never feel unsafe again.”
