Chapter 6 - The Confession in Holding Cell B
The heavy steel door of Silver Creek’s municipal holding cell slammed shut with a metallic echo that vibrated straight through my boots. Inside sat Derek, his head buried in his hands, his knuckles raw where he had clawed at the concrete wall in panic.
When the metal sliding slot clicked open and Chief Miller flashed a beam of light into the dark cell, Derek scrambled backward like a trapped animal.
“I didn't mean to kill her!” Derek blurted out instantly, his voice cracking into a high-pitched, hysterical squeak before Chief Miller even had a chance to speak. “It was supposed to be a simple intimidation tactic! Mr. Vance’s legal team said if we just got her signature on the deed transfer, nobody would get hurt!”
I stepped out from the shadows behind Chief Miller, my face expressionless.
Derek froze, his eyes widening in pure horror as he recognized me. He lunged toward the iron bars, clutching the cold steel with trembling fingers. “Alex! Alex, brother, you have to listen to me! It was Mom and Aunt Beatrice! They told me Clara was standing between us and millions of dollars! Mr. Vance promised us a partnership in the regional transport sector if we cleared the title before the probate window closed!”
“You didn't just clear a title, Derek,” I said, my voice dangerously calm. “You took a mother away from her child. You smashed open our bedroom door, beat her, and left her to die while you staged a suicide.”
“It was an accident!” Derek sobbed, sliding down the bars until he collapsed onto the filthy floor. “She fought back—she slapped my face, exactly like you saw! And then... and then Beatrice told us to make it look like she hung herself in the closet. But she was already gone before we could finish staging it. Mom panicked and called Beatrice’s funeral home to lock down the house before you came back from the transport run.”
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Chief Miller recorded every word on his body camera and the official console desktop unit. He stepped forward, locking the audio file into evidence. “You’ve just given us a full, uncoerced confession to first-degree manslaughter and conspiracy to commit homicide. That’s more than enough to hold you without bail.”
As we turned away from the cell, Derek’s frantic screams echoed down the corridor, but I didn't look back. The pawns were beginning to break. Next was the queen.
