Chapter 6: The Detective’s Inquiry
Detective Miller adjusted his trench coat as he approached the two chairs in the waiting alcove, his expression neutral and professional. He flashed a metal shield briefly before sliding it back into his breast pocket. "Mr. Hayes? Ms. Vance? I'm Detective Miller, Homicide and Major Assault division. I need to ask you both a few follow-up questions regarding the incident at the penthouse last night."
Elena stood up, smoothing the front of her camel-hair coat. "I am Clara Vance’s legal counsel and sister-in-law. Mr. Hayes is the primary witness who provided the digital recording. My client is currently resting under sedation and cannot be interviewed at this exact moment."
"I understand that, Counselor," Detective Miller said, pulling a small leather notebook from his pocket and clicking a ballpoint pen. "However, the digital evidence Mr. Hayes provided raises several critical questions regarding the timeline of events leading up to the assault. Specifically, why Mr. Hayes was recording video footage three full minutes before the physical confrontation began."
Julian stood up slowly, facing the detective with a heavy, resigned posture. "Because I knew Helen was planning something," Julian admitted plainly, refusing to hide behind legal obfuscation any longer. "We had received anonymous tips that someone was tampering with the physical safe combination logs. I stayed in the master suite hallway to catch her in the act of trespassing or theft."
"And you didn't intervene when she introduced a deadly weapon into the room?" Detective Miller pressed, his eyes narrowing slightly as he observed Julian’s body language. "You stood there and filmed a pregnant woman being threatened and physically assaulted before stepping in."
"I miscalculated the escalation," Julian said, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "I thought I could control the situation and secure a confession that would permanently remove Helen from the board of executors. I didn't think she would actually strike Clara with the hammer. By the time I realized the danger, it was already happening."
Elena watched Julian closely, her expression unreadable. She knew that his admission, while morally damning, was legally savvy—it removed any ambiguity about his complicity while confirming the premeditated nature of Helen’s actions.
"That confession makes you a terrible human being, Mr. Hayes, but it doesn't make you an accessory to the assault under the current penal code," Detective Miller noted, jotting down a quick note in his ledger. "Your phone has been mirrored by our cyber unit. We found emails between you and Helen dating back six months discussing the restructuring of the Vance family trust."
May you like
Julian swallowed hard, feeling the cold weight of his past correspondence coming back to haunt him. "Those emails were about corporate governance, nothing more."
"We'll let a grand jury decide what those emails mean," Detective Miller said calmly, closing his notebook with a sharp snap. "Do not leave the city, either of you. I'll need formal statements from both of you once Ms. Vance is discharged from medical care."
