Chapter 7 - The Interrogation Room Confession
The interrogation room at the county precinct was small, windowless, and smelled faintly of old coffee and bleach. Julian sat at the metal table, his hands cuffed to a bolted-on ring, looking remarkably calm for a man facing multiple felony charges including kidnapping, grand larceny, and attempted murder. Detective Miller sat across from him, sliding a thick stack of printed transcripts and bank records across the surface between them.
"The game is over, Julian," Detective Miller said, her voice steady and uncompromising. "Sarah Jenkins has given us a full confession detailing every single wire transfer, every offshore account, and your plan to frame your wife for a crime you orchestrated from the very beginning."
Julian chuckled softly, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs with practiced arrogance.
"Sarah is an opportunistic liar facing twenty years in prison," Julian replied smoothly, his voice devoid of any remorse. "She’ll say anything to cut a deal with the prosecutor. Where is the physical evidence linking me directly to the forged signatures, Detective? Show me a single document bearing my handwriting."
Detective Miller didn't flinch. She simply opened a manila envelope and slid a single sheet of paper onto the table. It was a certified copy of a power of attorney document, signed and notarized just three weeks prior, granting Julian absolute control over his mother’s multi-million-dollar estate.
"We don't need your handwriting, Julian, because you used a digital notary service with biometric verification," Detective Miller stated, watching his expression carefully. "And your computer’s webcam recorded your face and IP address logging in to execute that document while your mother was heavily sedated in her medical chair."
The arrogant smirk slowly vanished from Julian's face, replaced by a twitching muscle in his jaw.
"It was legal," Julian muttered defensively, his voice dropping an octave. "She signed it when she had a lucid day. I was protecting the family assets from Elena's reckless spending."
"Protecting them by funneling them into a private account in the Cayman Islands?" Detective Miller countered sharply. "And what about the attempt on your mother's life today? Did you protect her by stage-managing an altercation where your unhinged wife was set up to look like a violent assailant?"
Julian stared at the table, his mind calculating desperately. He knew the net was tightening, but he also knew something the police didn't.
May you like
"Elena is more unstable than you realize," Julian whispered, leaning forward so his cuffed hands clinked softly against the steel. "Ask her about what happened to her first husband five years ago. Ask her why he died under very similar mysterious circumstances just months after changing his life insurance policy to make her the sole beneficiary."
---
