Chapter 5 - The Snake's Last StrikeFor three days, Hartwell County was in utter shock. The news of Warren Voss’s arrest, the seizure of his properties, and the exposed corruption of the Sheriff’s Department dominated every newspaper and television station in the state.
Daniel Voss was held without bail at the state detention center, charged with felony domestic assault, kidnapping, and obstruction of justice. Warren Voss was facing federal indictment for grand larceny, bank fraud, and racketeering.
Claire was staying with me at the farm, slowly regaining her strength. The bruises on her face were fading from dark purple to yellow, and for the first time in three years, I heard her laugh while sitting on the porch with Dr. Ellis.
It seemed like the storm had finally passed.
But cornered snakes are the most dangerous.
On Thursday night, a heavy rainstorm rolled through the county, knocking out power lines across the south road. The farmhouse went completely dark around nine o'clock.
I lit kerosene lamps in the kitchen and living room, making sure Claire was warm and comfortable in her bedroom before sitting down at the kitchen table with my shotgun resting against my knee. Twenty years in farming teaches you never to drop your guard during a storm.
At 11:30 PM, the dog started barking frantically from the back porch.
Then, the kitchen window shattered into a thousand pieces.
A glass bottle filled with gasoline and fitted with a burning rag crashed onto the linoleum floor, instantly exploding into a wall of roaring orange fire.
"Claire!" I screamed, jumping up from the table.
Smoke filled the kitchen in seconds, thick, black, and choking. The dry wood of the old farmhouse caught fire like paper.
I ran into Claire's bedroom, grabbing her out of bed just as flames began to lick through the hallway walls.
"Daddy! What's happening?" she cried, coughing heavily from the smoke.
"Get out through the window! Go!" I yelled, lifting her over the sill onto the wet grass outside.
As I climbed out behind her into the pouring rain, a figure stepped out from the darkness near the oak tree.
He was wearing a dark rain jacket, holding a heavy crowbar in his hand.
It wasn't a hitman. It was Daniel Voss.
He was covered in mud, his eyes wild and bloodshot. He had somehow posted a emergency bond using a hidden offshore bail fund before the state freeze was fully processed, and he had come straight for us.
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"You ruined my life!" Daniel screamed over the sound of the crackling fire and the pouring rain. "You took my money! You took my name! I’m going to make you watch her burn!"
He raised the crowbar and rushed toward Claire.
