Chapter 4 - Warfare by ProxyThe line went dead before I could even scream into the receiver.
"James!" I ran into the living room, panic surging through my chest. "She called his commander! She's trying to wreck your career!"
James, who was sitting on the couch reviewing home security footage, didn't panic. He slowly placed his laptop on the coffee table and pulled out his phone. "Who did she say she emailed?"
"She said she emailed your commanding officer. She accused you of threatening a civilian!"
James let out a single, dark laugh. "Colonel Vance has known me for twelve years. He knows exactly who I am, and he knows I don't make random threats. But more importantly..." He tapped his screen. "I recorded every second of audio from the moment I stood up at that dinner table."
My jaw dropped. "You recorded it?"
"Body-cam habits die hard," James replied, showing me his phone screen where a digital voice recorder file was saved. "The moment Lauren started raising her voice at you, I hit record on my watch. I have her striking Emma, her admitting to it, and her calling it 'discipline'."
A wave of relief washed over me, but it was quickly cut short by a heavy knock at our front door.
My heart leaped into my throat. It was nearly midnight on Christmas Eve.
"Stay here," James ordered softly. He walked to the front door, checked the peephole, and unlatched the deadbolt.
Standing on the porch were two uniformed police officers.
"Captain Walker?" the lead officer asked, his hand resting near his belt. "We received a call reporting a domestic disturbance and potential child endangerment at this address."
I stepped into the entryway, gasping. "What? No! My sister called you, didn't she?"
"Ma'am, please step back," the second officer said neutrally. "We need to verify the safety of the child."
James didn't flinch. He stood tall, completely unbothered by the police presence. "Officers, you are being manipulated by a hostile family member who assaulted my six-month-old daughter two hours ago. I have full audio recording of the entire incident, as well as text messages from her threatening to make false police reports."
The lead officer blinked, caught off guard by James's absolute composure. "You have audio?"
"I do," James said. "And if you step inside out of the cold, I will play it for you, along with showing you the text message threats she sent thirty minutes ago."
Ten minutes later, the two officers were standing in our kitchen, listening to the crystal-clear recording of Lauren slapping Emma, followed by her haughty 'Kids need discipline' line, and finally James’s calm, firm command for her to leave.
The lead officer rubbed his temples, letting out a long sigh. "This woman is playing a very dangerous game. Making a false police report is a misdemeanor, and harassing active duty military personnel can escalate fast."
"I want to press charges," I said, stepping forward, my voice firm. "I want a restraining order against my sister."
The officer nodded. "We'll take a copy of this audio file, ma'am. But I have to warn you... people like your sister don't usually stop when the police get involved. They just get creative."
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As if on cue, my phone lit up on the counter with a text from an unknown contact.
It was a photo of our front driveway, taken from across the street. Attached was a message: Nice lights. Shame if something happened to your house while you sleep.
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