Chapter 2 - The Locked Sanctuary
The heavy iron-reinforced wooden doors swung shut with a thud.
The massive brass latch slid home with a definitive metallic click.
Panicked murmurs exploded throughout the chapel like wildfire.
Wealthy socialites, corporate board members, and old friends stood up in shock.
Julian Vance stepped forward, his eyes bloodshot and angry.
"Ricardo, are you out of your mind?" Julian demanded, his voice cracking.
"This is my wife’s funeral! You're terrorizing our daughter!"
Ricardo did not back down an inch.
He placed both hands on Bia’s shoulders, keeping her behind him.
"Bia isn't terrorized by me, Julian," Ricardo replied, cold as ice.
"She’s terrified of the woman standing next to you."
Helena’s breathing was shallow and fast.
She smoothed down the front of her expensive black silk dress.
"This is insane," Helena said, pitching her voice for the crowd.
"The child is traumatized. She’s hallucinating from grief."
"Clara had an undiagnosed heart defect! You all saw the lab report!"
"Clara didn't have heart trouble," Ricardo said calmly.
"She ran half-marathons twice a year."
Bia peeked out from behind Ricardo’s coat.
Her tiny fingers pressed the power button on the encrypted phone.
The screen lit up with a harsh, bluish glare.
A four-digit PIN prompt appeared on the display.
Helena watched the screen like a predator waiting to strike.
"Give me that phone, Ricardo," Helena snapped, abandoning her polite tone.
"Clara's personal belongings belong to the estate. I am the executor."
"Not anymore you aren't," Ricardo answered.
At the back of the chapel, sudden heavy thumping rattled the locked oak doors.
Someone outside was pounding on the wood.
Shouts came muffled through the thick stained-glass panels.
Several guests moved nervously toward the exits.
"I said nobody moves!" Ricardo’s voice boomed across the vault of the church.
He pulled his own phone from his chest pocket with his left hand.
He dialed three digits and pressed speaker.
"Detective Miller," Ricardo said into the mic.
"I’m at Saint Jude’s Chapel. You need to bring the forensic unit immediately."
"We have Clara’s actual dying declaration, and the suspect is in the room."
Helena darted her eyes toward the side vestry door.
She calculated the distance across the marble altar.
It was barely twenty feet away.
If she reached the priest's private exit, she could make it to the parking lot.
She took one tentative step to her right.
Ricardo noticed every fraction of her movement.
May you like
"Take another step, Helena," Ricardo warned quietly.
"And I won't wait for the police to put you in handcuffs."
