Chapter 7 - The Wedding Crashers
The silence that fell over the country club was absolute. You could hear the wind rustling through the magnolia trees. Elena dropped her bouquet; the white roses scattered across the grass like drops of blood.
"The... the pills?" Arthur stammered, all the color draining from his face. His carefully constructed facade was crumbling in real-time.
DA Higgins stepped forward. "Arthur Vance, we have a certified toxicology report, audio recordings of your conversations with Miss Elena here, and a video testimony from your late wife detailing how you swapped her heart medication for placebos to hasten her death and collect her life insurance."
The crowd erupted. People stood up in shock. A woman in the front row screamed. Arthur’s business partners began backing away from the altar as if he were diseased.
"That's a lie!" Arthur shouted, his voice cracking with panic. He looked desperately at Elena. "Babe, tell them! It's a setup! The old man framed me!"
But Elena was backing away too, her hands covering her mouth in horror. "You told me she was just sick... You told me it was natural!" she shrieked, her perfect makeup ruined by sudden, terrified tears. "I didn't know you killed her!"
"I didn't kill her!" Arthur screamed, losing all his composure. He looked like a cornered rat.
"Save it for the judge, Mr. Vance," one of the detectives said, stepping up to the altar and grabbing Arthur's arms, roughly twisting them behind his back. The metallic click of the handcuffs echoing over the altar was the sweetest sound I had ever heard.
"You are under arrest for wire fraud, insurance fraud, and the negligent homicide of Rose Vance. You have the right to remain silent..."
As the officer read him his rights, Arthur locked eyes with me. The arrogance was gone. The smugness from the cemetery was entirely erased. In his eyes, I saw only terror and the sudden, crushing realization that his entire life was over.
"You ruined me!" he screamed as the officers began to drag him down the aisle, right past his horrified guests. "Charles, you ruined my life!"
"No, Arthur," I replied calmly, not moving an inch. "You ruined your own life. I just made sure you didn't ruin my granddaughters' lives along with it."
They loaded him into the back of the police cruiser. Elena was also detained for questioning regarding the stolen funds. The magnificent wedding reception was abandoned, the champagne left untouched, the expensive food left to get cold.
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Thomas put a hand on my shoulder. "It's over, Charles. We got him."
I looked up at the clear blue sky, feeling a massive weight lift from my chest. I took a deep, shaky breath. "Rest now, Rose," I whispered to the wind. "I've got them. They're safe."
