Chapter 5
The Briefcase Man reached the nearest guest table, draped in heavy white silk and adorned with a cascading centerpiece of white roses. Without a word of apology, he swept his arm across the table, knocking crystal glasses, silver cutlery, and bone china to the floor. The shattering crash made the Bride flinch violently. He lifted the brown leather briefcase and placed it squarely in the cleared space.
"What is in that bag?" the Father asked, his voice shaking. The elder man looked as though he had aged ten years in the span of five minutes. "What agencies? I demand to know what is happening in my venue!"
"Your venue is currently a crime scene, sir," the Briefcase Man replied, his hands hovering over the brass latches of the briefcase. "My name is Detective Elias Thorne. And this briefcase contains the answers you've been looking for since your daughter's car went off the Pacific Coast Highway."
"Don't open it!" the Bride screamed, her voice tearing her vocal cords. She violently shoved the groom aside, scrambling over the elevated dais. "Dad, don't let him open it! It's a bomb, it's poison, it's—"
Click. Click.
The sharp, metallic snaps of the briefcase latches unfastening cut through her hysteria like a gunshot. The Bride froze, staring at the brown leather in absolute, paralyzed horror. Her breathing was ragged, her chest heaving so violently the emerald necklace bounced against her collarbone.
Elias slowly lifted the lid of the briefcase, angling it so the Father could see the contents perfectly. Inside, secured by leather straps, were stacks of financial ledgers, a thick manila folder, and a clear plastic evidence bag containing a burner phone.
"You see, Richard," Elias said, leaning forward on the table. "When a car burns hot enough to melt an engine block, people assume all the evidence burns with it. But hitmen are greedy. And they like to keep receipts."
"Receipts?" the Father whispered, stepping closer to the table, his eyes darting between Elias and the open case. "Receipts for what?"
"For the assassination of Caroline Vance," Elias stated coldly. "Commissioned, funded, and overseen by the woman currently hyperventilating in the white dress."
May you like
"It's a forgery!" the Bride wailed, wrapping her arms around herself. "He made it all up to extort us! Caroline put him up to this because she was jealous of my wedding!"
Caroline finally turned her whole body to face her sister, the hospital gown shifting against the marble floor. "Jealous, Isabella? You think I took a wire to the throat because I was jealous of your caterer?"
