Chapter 3 - The Badge in the Rain
Detective Miller's trench coat dripped a pool of dark water onto the pristine stone floor as he walked slowly down the aisle. His expression was completely unreadable, a stark contrast to Elena’s rising hysteria and Julian’s frozen panic.
"Financial crimes?" Elena shrieked, her voice bouncing off the high arches. "There must be some mistake! We are in the middle of a wedding ceremony. My family owns half the commercial real estate in this county. You cannot just walk in here!"
"Ma'am, step aside," Detective Miller said calmly, resting his hand near his hip. "Unless you want to be charged as an accessory to corporate embezzlement and wire fraud."
Elena stepped back as if she had been physically struck, her mouth opening and closing without sound. Her pristine white veil caught on a candle stand, tearing slightly as she pulled away.
Julian shielded Lily with his body, though his hands shook uncontrollably. "Detective, this is a private family matter. The girl brought me some paperwork from my home, but there's been a misunderstanding. I’m a respected businessman."
"A respected businessman who liquidated a trust fund meant for orphans three hours ago," Miller replied, pulling a small notebook from his pocket. "The bank flagged the routing numbers the moment the transaction cleared. And your wife—or soon-to-be wife—happens to be the primary beneficiary of the shell company receiving the funds."
Elena gasped, spinning to face Julian. "You told me that money was your venture capital payout! You said we were using it for our honeymoon in Monaco!"
"I had to tell you something to get you to sign the pre-nup, Elena!" Julian yelled, losing his composure completely. "You wouldn't have looked at me twice if I wasn't liquidating everything to keep up with your expensive tastes!"
Lily stared up at her father, tears finally mixing with the rainwater still clinging to her eyelashes. "You did this for her? You traded the kids' home and Mom's health for a woman who doesn't even care about you?"
"That's enough, kiddo," Miller said gently, kneeling to be at eye level with Lily. He reached out a gloved hand. "You did the right thing bringing those checks here. Now, I need you to hand over the envelope so we can secure the evidence."
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Julian’s eyes locked onto the brown envelope in Miller's hand. Without warning, he shoved the detective hard against the wooden pew, grabbed the envelope, and bolted toward the private staircase leading up to the cathedral bell tower.
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