Chapter 6 - The Accomplice Unmasked
Julian Mercer’s casual posture evaporated in a single, terrifying instant.
The distinguished investor took an involuntary step backward, his polished shoe crushing a fallen orchid petal beneath his heel.
His hand flew to his bow tie, his neatly groomed composure disintegrating into frantic, sweating panic.
"Evelyn, you're confused... she’s hysterical, Arthur, she doesn’t know what she’s saying!" Julian stammered, his voice rising in octave.
The champagne glass he had been cradling slipped from his trembling fingers, shattering instantly against the dark oak.
Arthur turned his head slowly, his piercing blue eyes locking onto the man he had considered a trusted business associate for five years.
"Julian?" Arthur muttered, the word sounding like the cocking of a loaded firearm.
Julian Mercer had brokered the very acquisition that brought Victoria Vance into Arthur’s executive circle twelve months ago.
He had sat at Arthur’s private club, shared vintage scotch, and consoled Arthur when Evelyn mysteriously disappeared from the estate.
"Arthur, listen to me, I’ve been in New York all month! I arrived this afternoon!" Julian pleaded, raising his hands palms-outward.
Evelyn shook her head frantically, leaning heavily into Clara’s shoulder as tears of rage burned down her face.
"He brought the sedatives!" Evelyn shouted, her voice gaining strength from the horror of the memory.
"He carried me down into the foundation hatch while she held the syringe to my neck!" she cried out before the entire room.
The dinner guests gasped collectively, moving away from Julian as if the man were carrying a lethal contagion.
Julian looked toward the double doors, but the two massive security guards were already closing the exit with grim expressions.
May you like
Behind the table, Victoria sat up among the ruined food and shattered porcelain, staring at Julian with venomous despair.
"You idiot..." Victoria hissed under her breath, realizing their meticulously constructed alibi was crumbling to dust.
