Chapter 10 - The Hidden Partition
Detective Vance leaned forward, resting his elbows on the cold steel table. The harsh fluorescent light caught the faint glint of curiosity in his weary eyes.
"What detail?" Clara asked, her voice raspy and desperate.
"Martha claims you snapped unprovoked during your birthday party because you were demanding an early inheritance," Vance said quietly. "She claims the pink handbag you threw into the fire was just an old birthday gift you grew tired of."
"That's a lie!" Clara protested. "She threw the bag in! She burned it to destroy what was inside!"
"I know," Vance said, tapping a finger against the manila folder. "Our crime scene tech recovered the charred remains of the hardware from the fire pit before the morning sweep. The metal clasp didn't melt completely. It had a serial number stamped into the inner alloy ring—a custom monogram that isn't registered to Martha at all."
Clara leaned in closer, the chains of her handcuffs clinking softly. "Whose is it?"
"It’s registered to a safety deposit box at the First National Bank downtown," Vance said, narrowing his eyes. "A box that was opened thirty years ago under a sealed trust—and the only person authorized to access it besides the deceased account holder is someone carrying the exact genetic marker matching your DNA."
A fragile spark of hope reignited in Clara’s chest. "Then take me there. Let me open it."
"I can't just take a suspect out of holding based on a hunch, Clara," Vance warned, though his tone was softening. "Martha’s legal team is already downstairs with a writ of release. If you walk out of here without ironclad proof, she will have you committed to a psychiatric facility before sunset. You have less than two hours before her lawyers clear her release."
Clara’s mind raced. Being committed meant being silenced permanently. She needed to get to that bank, and she needed to do it now, before Martha’s influence shut down the investigation entirely.
"Help me get out of these cuffs, Detective," Clara whispered, staring straight into Vance's eyes. "If I'm lying, you can lock me away forever. But if I'm right, you'll finally catch the monster running this town."
May you like
Vance hesitated, looking toward the observation glass that separated them from the station hallway. He reached slowly into his pocket, pulled out a small brass key, and unlocked the heavy steel cuffs binding Clara's wrists.
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