The sirens wails grew louder and louder. Four marked cars and Detective Brinks roared up the long gravel lane. A cloud of dust high in the air behind them.
"David" The General snapped, red-faced, at Ohio, "Take Josh and Jade upstairs. NOW!"
Dr. Troy looked at the man and realized he had walked into The General's carefully planned trap. There was a slight smile when their eyes had met. General Davis gave a barely perceptible nod. Checkmate.
Mark sat still and confused as to the chaos brewing around him.
One of the officers called Dr. Troy by name and ordered him to come out of the house with his hands raised.
The General followed him out the door.
Mark rose and began to approach the door as well. Davis attempted to convince him to stay inside, but he pushed his way through.
The cruisers sat in the semi-circle drive and the detective and officers (hands by their weapons) called out again to Dr. Troy.
"Dr. Richard Troy...we have a warrant for your arrest in the murder of Tracy Black...and the suspected involvement in the murder of her husband Jerry Black."
Mark was now completely in shock and only the Exo-Shel was keeping him upright.
"Mark" The General's voice was cutting through the fog in his head "I really think you need to go inside."
Mark ignored him.
"Dead?" He questioned the detective, "They are both dead? How can they both be dead?" his voice grew shriller by the end of his inquiry.
The General, absolutely furious and breathing hard, interrupted
"Damn it, Mark. I didn't see it being good for your recovery to let you know when it happened."
"We found Tracy's body in an outbuilding on the doctor's property this morning, Mark" The detective stated evenly.
Ex-General Davis' face paled as Brinks continued.
"We found Jerry months ago in what appeared to be a suicide after leaving Doctor Troy's office. Do you have any information as to how he obtained your service revolver? It was the weapon found with his body."
Mark took a hard cold look at his ex-father-in-law before replying
"I gave it to Jerry to hold onto", he lied.
The General's, once ruddy face, grew even whiter.
As an officer mirandized the doctor and cuffed, led him to the back of a patrol car, Detective Brinks expressed his condolences to Mark.
"I am so sorry," he began.
But Mark had turned away, no longer listening, and walked back into the house instead, the door slamming behind him.
And Detective Brinks was surveying The General's face for some hint of grief after hearing about the death of his daughter...and seeing nothing.
He seemed more distraught about Mark finding out about Jerry's death than the demise of his own child.
Then the realization came
He wasn't shocked by the loss of Tracy because the son-of-a-bitch already knew she was dead.
