The Groom’s Hidden Investigation
Chapter 02 - The Groom’s Hidden Investigation
Evelyn stepped away from Peter as if the man she loved had become a stranger. He admitted that Margaret had warned him about Victor years ago, but she never gave him proof. For the past six months, Peter had quietly investigated the charity accounts, hoping to protect Evelyn until he understood the truth.
“You chose our wedding day to set a trap,” Evelyn said.
Peter denied it, but the evidence was difficult to ignore. He had insisted on holding the ceremony at the Hawthorne, where Margaret had hidden the envelope. He had personally invited Victor, several board members, and the retired detective who handled Claire’s crash. What Evelyn believed was a celebration had also been designed as a confrontation.
The deleted recorder made matters worse. Someone had accessed the hotel network from inside the building. Peter suspected Victor, but Evelyn no longer knew whom to trust.
Downstairs, the pianist began the wedding march.
Victor entered without permission, smiling as though nothing had happened. He claimed Margaret had suffered from confusion before her death and accused Peter of using an old family tragedy to seize control of Lawson Development. Then he looked at Evelyn with carefully rehearsed sympathy.
“Claire was troubled,” he said. “She blamed people when her own finances collapsed.”
Evelyn slapped him.
The sound silenced the hallway.
Victor’s smile vanished. He warned that if Evelyn repeated the accusation publicly, he would release documents proving Claire had stolen from the charity. Peter stepped between them, but Victor leaned close and whispered, “Ask your groom why his fingerprints were found on Claire’s car.”
Evelyn felt the floor shift beneath her.
Peter admitted he had repaired Claire’s taillight the day before the crash. The police had questioned him, but Victor provided an alibi and the investigation ended. Peter had hidden this because he feared Evelyn would believe he was involved.
It was exactly what happened.
Evelyn removed her veil and told the wedding coordinator to delay the ceremony. Then she locked herself in the bathroom and opened the photograph again. In the reflection of the black sedan’s window, she noticed a second figure holding a camera.
It was Margaret.
Beneath the image was a partial license plate and the logo of a storage company that had closed years earlier.
Evelyn searched the company name and discovered its records had been transferred to a warehouse near the river. Before she could tell Peter, her phone received a message from an unknown number.
May you like
“Come alone if you want the rest of Claire’s proof.”
Attached was a live photograph of Peter being led from the hotel by police.
