Chapter 6 - The Interrogation Room
The sterile fluorescent lights of the precinct interrogation room hummed a low, irritating tune that seemed to vibrate inside Julian’s skull. Stripped of his black suit jacket, sitting in a rigid metal chair with his white shirt sleeves rolled up, he stared at the mirrored glass wall opposite him. The wedding reception had vanished, replaced by the grim reality of a police investigation.
The heavy metal door swung open, and Detective Vance walked in, tossing a thick manila folder onto the stainless-steel table with a sharp thud. He pulled out the chair opposite Julian and sat down, lacing his thick fingers together.
“Let’s go over the timeline again, Julian,” the detective said, his tone deceptively casual. “According to our background check on Evelyn Hayes, she wasn’t just a random college roommate of Clara’s. She was your executive assistant at the tech firm you manage. In fact, financial records show a series of very large cash transfers from your corporate account to her private offshore account over the past twelve months.”
Julian swallowed hard, keeping his face carefully neutral. He had anticipated this, but hearing it spoken aloud felt like a trap springing shut.
“That was corporate consulting bonuses,” Julian answered evenly, his voice barely wavering. “Evelyn worked overtime on our international patent filings.”
Detective Vance let out a dry, humorless laugh, leaning forward until his forearms rested on the table.
“Consulting bonuses? That’s fascinating, considering the memo lines on those wire transfers said ‘silence insurance’,” the detective countered, sliding a printed bank statement across the table. “And let’s talk about your lovely bride, Clara. Does she know that you and Evelyn were sharing a penthouse apartment in downtown Seattle while she was away on her charity mission trips?”
Julian’s eyes flashed with sudden fury, his hands curling into tight fists beneath the table edge.
“That’s none of your business, and it has nothing to do with what happened tonight,” Julian snapped, the mask of calm finally slipping.
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“Everything is my business now, Mr. Vance,” the detective smiled coldly. “Especially since Evelyn woke up from her stomach pump an hour ago, and her first words to my partner weren't a plea for a lawyer. She sang like a canary about the master plan you and she cooked up to collect Clara’s multi-million dollar inheritance.”
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