Part 2 – The Funeral That Became a Trap
Julian arrived at the funeral wearing a charcoal-gray suit and the perfect expression of grief.
He hugged me before I could step away.
"I can't believe she's gone," he whispered.
His voice almost cracked.
Almost.
If Daniel hadn't shown me the surveillance photos the night before, I might have believed him.
Instead, I simply nodded.
"Neither can I."
Officer Bruce Jackson stood near the cemetery entrance pretending to watch traffic, but his eyes never left Julian.
Daniel stayed farther back with two detectives from the financial crimes unit.
We weren't attending a funeral anymore.
We were watching suspects.
Marissa's body had been identified through dental records after the crash.
The medical examiner ruled it an accident.
But too many things refused to make sense.
Why replace her with a mannequin?
Why steal documents from my office?
Why erase every security camera around my house except one?
Daniel kept replaying the only surviving footage.
At 2:17 a.m., a black SUV pulled into our driveway.
At 2:31, it left.
No license plate.
No faces.
Only one detail.
The driver walked with a slight limp.
Exactly like Julian.
After the burial everyone gathered at my house.
Neighbors filled the living room carrying casseroles, pies, and awkward condolences.
Julian offered to help organize my financial paperwork.
"My brother," he said gently, "you shouldn't make any big decisions while you're grieving."
Exactly what I expected.
I smiled.
"I actually need your advice."
His eyes brightened.
We walked into my office.
He closed the door behind us.
"I don't even know where Marissa kept the insurance documents."
Julian immediately walked toward my wall safe.
Without asking.
Without hesitating.
He reached for the exact painting that concealed it.
Then he froze.
He realized what he'd just revealed.
"You... remembered where it was?" I asked quietly.
He forced a laugh.
"Lucky guess."
Daniel stepped from the hallway.
"So lucky that you knew the combination had been changed?"
Julian's face turned pale.
Before anyone could speak again, his phone vibrated.
A single text appeared on the screen.
GET OUT NOW. THEY KNOW.
Officer Jackson opened the office door.
"I think we'll be keeping that phone."
The phone became the first real crack in the case.
It contained encrypted messaging apps.
Deleted conversations.
Hidden banking apps.
And one message that had survived because Julian forgot to erase the cloud backup.
"Once Mercer signs everything, we're finished."
Finished with what?
No one knew yet.
But someone else certainly did.
May you like
Because that night...
someone broke into the police evidence room.
