Chapter 2 - The Sound of Handcuffs
The audio from my phone echoed off the sterile hospital walls.
Ethan’s voice from the recording was followed by a sickening thud, then Emily’s breathless sobbing.
The blood drained entirely from Ethan’s arrogant face. He took a step back, bumping into the medication cart.
“That’s… that’s illegal wiretapping,” Brandon stammered, pointing a shaking finger at my phone. “You can’t record someone without their consent!”
“North Carolina is a one-party consent state,” I replied evenly. “Emily consented. That makes it entirely legal.”
Before Margaret could formulate another threat, the heavy hospital doors swung open.
Two Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers stepped into the room. They had been called by the nurse the moment I asked for one.
“Is there a problem here?” the older officer, a Sergeant named Davis, asked. His eyes swept the room, taking in my uniform, the wealthy Prescotts, and finally, my battered daughter.
“Yes, Sergeant,” Margaret stepped forward immediately, projecting her usual authority. “We have an emotionally disturbed young woman here. This is a private family matter. We’ll be taking her to a private facility.”
“No, you will not,” I said.
I handed the black folder to Sergeant Davis. “My daughter was assaulted, unlawfully detained, and threatened by these three individuals. The evidence is documented right here.”
Sergeant Davis opened the folder. He read the transcript. He looked at the exterior lock photo.
“Officer,” Ethan said, forcing a laugh. “My name is Ethan Prescott. My father practically built the new wing of this hospital. This is a misunderstanding. She fell.”
“Did she fall on your fists, Mr. Prescott?” Davis asked, his tone deadpan.
He turned his radio down and asked to see the video.
I played it again. The officers watched in silence. The sound of Margaret’s voice on the recording—"Let her cry, she'll sign the NDA eventually"—filled the room.
Davis handed the folder to his partner. He unclipped his handcuffs.
“Ethan Prescott, turn around and place your hands behind your back.”
“Are you insane?!” Margaret shrieked, losing her composure for the first time. “Do you know who we are? I will have your badge before midnight!”
“You can try, ma’am,” Davis said as he clicked the steel cuffs around Ethan’s wrists. “But right now, your son is under arrest for domestic assault and false imprisonment.”
Ethan looked at his mother in sheer panic. “Mom! Do something!”
“We’ll have you out in an hour, Ethan. Say nothing,” Brandon urged, though he looked terrified himself.
As they led Ethan away, Margaret turned her venomous gaze to me.
May you like
“You have started a war you cannot win, Colonel. You think a little recording will destroy us? We have millions. We will bury you and your daughter.”
“I’ve been to actual war, Margaret,” I told her quietly. “You just write checks. We’ll see who breaks first.”
