Part 4 : The Hidden Void
Claire surged forward just as Margaret fired. The bullet shattered a vase of lilies, sending water and petals flying. Claire ducked, using the weight of the axe to anchor her momentum, and swung the handle into Margaret’s wrist.
The gun skittered across the polished floor.
Margaret lunged for it, but Elias was faster. He pinned his sister to the floor, his face twisted in disbelief. "You killed him, didn't you? You killed him and you were going to use me to help hide it."
"I did it for the family!" Margaret shrieked, struggling. "For everything we have!"
Claire ignored the struggle. She walked to the center of the room and set the iron box down. She used the sharp edge of the axe to wedge the lock. With one sharp, practiced movement—the movement of a master artisan—she popped the mechanism.
It wasn't money.
It was a collection of digital drives and microfilms. Claire pulled one out, holding it up to the light of the chandelier.
"These aren't just ledgers," Claire said, her voice steadying as the adrenaline began to fade. "These are the blueprints for every illegal transaction this company has made in the last twenty years. It’s all here. Every payoff, every forced eviction, every 'accident'."
The chapel doors swung open again. This time, it wasn't a mourner. It was the police, led by a detective who looked at the scene—the shattered casket, the woman holding an axe, and the weeping widow on the floor—with a grim understanding.
"Claire Mason?" the detective asked.
May you like
"I'm here," Claire said, dropping the axe. It hit the marble floor with a heavy, final thud. "And I think you’ll find everything you need in that box."
