Chapter 6 - The Arrival of the Sirens
The sharp, high-pitched wail of emergency sirens echoed across the asphalt parking lot.
Two paramedics rushed forward with trauma kits, while two police cruisers pulled up behind my sedan, their red and blue lights flashing against the hot pavement.
"Ma'am! Step back!" a paramedic ordered, dropping beside the open door of my car.
I stepped back, my hands covered in sweat, dirt, and tiny cuts from the broken glass.
Paramedic Vance—a tall woman with sharp, efficient movements—checked the newborn's vitals while her partner applied oxygen masks to the red-haired boy.
"Severe dehydration and early-stage hyperthermia," Vance reported into her radio. "Initiating IV fluid lines for the twelve-year-old. The infant is stable but needs immediate pediatric transport."
An officer with a silver badge named Detective Miller walked up to me, pulling a small notepad from his uniform pocket.
"Are you the person who broke the window?" Miller asked, his eyes scanning my cut hands and the steel wrench lying on the pavement.
"Yes," I said, my voice trembling as I pointed toward the blue minivan. "I saw the boy from across the lot. Detective... look at the door handles inside."
Detective Miller stepped up to the shattered window, shining his flashlight into the dim interior.
He saw the thick, black nylon zip-ties binding the handles.
His face turned to stone.
"Jesus," Miller whispered.
May you like
He turned back to me, his tone dropping an octave. "Did you see who parked this vehicle?"
"No," I answered, wiping my brow. "It was sitting here when I walked out of the store. The engine was off. The keys weren't in the ignition."
