Chapter 7 - The Police Precinct
The harsh fluorescent lighting of the downtown precinct felt blinding after the soft, romantic glow of the wedding chapel. Julian walked through the metal detectors with Lily holding tightly to the hem of his tuxedo trousers, the infant in the gold dress sleeping fitfully in the carrier strapped across his chest.
Detective Miller, a weary-looking man in his late forties with graying hair and tired eyes, met them near the front desk. He took one look at Julian—dressed in a high-end tuxedo with a baby strapped to his chest and a terrified eight-year-old trailing behind him—and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"You must be Julian," Miller said, his tone entirely devoid of judgment, which somehow made it worse. "Follow me to my office. We need to talk about Maya’s car."
They entered a cramped, windowless room filled with stacked case files and the stale scent of burnt coffee. Miller motioned for them to sit. Lily climbed cautiously onto the metal chair, her big brown eyes darting nervously around the room.
"What happened to Maya?" Julian asked, his voice shaking as he sat down across from the detective. "The court papers said she abandoned them, but... you mentioned a homicide investigation."
Miller placed a glossy photograph on the desk between them. It showed a black sedan parked near an abandoned warehouse district down by the harbor, the driver's side door scorched by fire, the windows blown out.
"Maya's car was found abandoned early this morning," Miller explained quietly. "There was no body inside, but there was a significant amount of blood in the backseat, and her purse, phone, and wallet were left on the passenger seat. Someone tried to set the vehicle on fire to destroy the evidence, but the sprinkler system in the old loading dock put it out before it could total the car."
Julian felt the air leave his lungs. "Is she... is she dead?"
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"We don't know yet," Miller replied, leaning forward, his eyes locking onto Julian's. "What we do know is that Maya made an emergency call to a confidential family law attorney right before her car was attacked. And the only name listed in her emergency contacts as a legal guardian for her children is you."
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