Chapter 6 - The Body That Never Was
The police sirens wailing outside suddenly cut through the heavy silence of the office, flashing red and blue lights slicing through the broken window and painting the walls in erratic, bleeding strokes. Richard stood in the doorway, his posture relaxed, a ghost of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. The two private security guards behind him remained motionless, their broad shoulders blocking the hallway like a pair of iron gates.
Evelyn didn't look at Richard. Her eyes remained locked on Julian, who looked as though he had aged ten years in the span of a single breath.
"What did Richard mean by that?" Evelyn demanded, her voice cutting through the wail of the sirens outside. She stepped closer to Julian, her glittering sequins catching the chaotic flashing lights. "What body, Julian? Maya was cremated. We held a funeral."
Julian closed his eyes, a heavy sigh shuddering through his chest as he leaned back against the doorframe. "There was no body in the casket, Evelyn. The river... the current was too fast. When we pulled her out, or rather, when he pulled her out..." Julian nodded slightly toward Richard.
Evelyn whipped around, staring at Richard in absolute horror. "You? You were there that night?"
Richard stepped into the room, his polished shoes clicking rhythmically against the hardwood floor. He didn't look like a terrified accomplice; he looked like a man collecting a debt that was long overdue.
"I was always there, Evelyn," Richard said smoothly, stepping past Julian without a glance. "Someone had to clean up the messes your family made. Julian panicked, as usual, and wanted to call the authorities immediately. But I reminded him that a scandal of that magnitude would destroy the foundation, the trust fund, and every political aspiration he harbored."
"You blackmailed him," Evelyn whispered, the pieces clicking together with sickening precision.
"I negotiated," Richard corrected gently, stopping a few feet away from her. "I kept the secret buried. In exchange, the foundation’s assets were funneled through a series of shell corporations that I happened to manage. A very profitable arrangement for all of us. Except, of course, for Maya."
Clara stepped out from the shadows of the desk, holding the artificial peach peony flower out toward Richard. Her face was a mask of cold, eerie innocence.
"She didn't want your money, Mr. Richard," Clara said, her small voice ringing clearly through the room. "She wanted her life back."
Richard’s polite smile faltered for a fraction of a second, his eyes darting down to the child. Before he could reach out to swat the flower away, the heavy oak doors at the end of the hallway burst open, and a gruff voice echoed through the estate.
May you like
"Police! Nobody move!"
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