Chapter 7 - Blue and Red in the Snow
Jared pulled his truck smoothly into the perimeter parking lot, parking well away from the active scene to keep his children shielded from the chaos. Through the windshield, he watched as two police officers with flashlights emerged from the shadows near the side service door.
A third officer had a figure pinned firmly against the hood of a police cruiser, snapping steel handcuffs around his wrists.
Jared turned off the engine, turned to look back at Ellie, and smiled warmly. “Stay right here in the truck, kids. Keep the doors locked. I’m just going to speak with the police officer for a minute, and then we’re going straight home for hot cocoa. Okay?”
“Okay, Dad,” Ellie said, hugging her sketchpad tightly to her chest.
Jared stepped out of the truck into the freezing December air, his boots crunching loudly against the fresh layer of snow. He walked toward the cluster of police cruisers, his breath pluming into white clouds in the freezing night.
As he approached, the handcuffed man being pushed toward the back of the cruiser turned his head, struggling against the officer’s grip.
It was Greg.
Melissa’s new boyfriend. His expensive designer jacket was torn at the elbow, his face flushed red from the cold and panic, and his slicked-back hair was completely disheveled.
When Greg saw Jared approaching, his eyes widened in desperate terror.
“Jared! Tell them!” Greg yelled frantically, straining against the officer holding his arm. “Tell them this is a misunderstanding! Tell them Melissa sent me! She told me you ruined her car on purpose, that you were trying to starve her out, and that we needed to even the score! She told me to trash your computers so you’d know how it feels!”
The arresting officer paused, turning his flashlight toward Jared. He looked him up and down, recognizing the professional demeanor of the business owner.
“Do you know this man, sir?” the officer asked firmly.
Jared stopped a few feet away, looking down at Greg with a mixture of profound pity and absolute disgust. He didn't feel rage anymore; he felt the cold, liberating clarity of a man watching an enemy self-destruct through their own arrogance.
“I know of him,” Jared said, his voice completely level and devoid of emotion. “He is my sister’s boyfriend.”
Greg’s eyes bulged. “Wait—no! You can't let them arrest me! Melissa said—”
“Officer,” Jared interrupted, looking directly at the policeman. “Press full charges. Breaking and entering, malicious destruction of commercial property, and attempted sabotage of critical business equipment. I have live security footage of him using a crowbar to smash thousands of dollars worth of diagnostic machinery, which I will hand over to the station tonight.”
“You got it, Mr. Miller,” the officer nodded professionally, shoving Greg into the back seat of the cruiser. “We’ve got him on tape, and we found the crowbar right beside the workbench with his fingerprints all over it. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.”
As the cruiser doors slammed shut, sealing Greg inside, Jared’s phone began vibrating violently in his pocket.
He pulled it out.
The screen lit up with a relentless barrage of incoming calls.
Mom.
Dad.
Melissa.
Melissa.
Melissa.
Jared stared at the screen, watched the names flash across the display for three seconds, and then pressed the button to silence the ringer entirely. He slipped the phone back into his pocket, turned his back on the flashing lights, and walked back to his truck.
He climbed into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and drove his children home.
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That night, there were no more tears and no more arguments. Jared helped Noah and Ellie set out a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk by the fireplace, tucked them snugly into their beds, and sat beside them until their breathing grew slow and even. For his children, Christmas Eve ended in warmth, safety, and unconditional love.
For Melissa and the rest of the family, however, the real reckoning was only just beginning.
