Chapter 5 - The Leather Briefcase
Douglas froze, looking at the serious detective in the dark charcoal suit. "She's alive! My daughter is alive! Get out of my way!"
"She is a material witness in an active attempted homicide investigation, sir," Detective Vance stated coldly. "Nobody touches her."
Detective Vance walked past Douglas and approached a nearby decorated wedding table. He swept a luxurious white floral arrangement onto the floor with absolute disregard and firmly placed his old brown leather briefcase on the polished table.
He unlatched it.
Juliette was hyperventilating now. The magnificent strapless white satin gown suddenly looked like a prison uniform. Her hands trembled uncontrollably against the heavy silk.
"This is insane!" Juliette cried out, her voice pitching into absolute hysteria. "She's an imposter! My sister burned in the fire! We buried her ashes! That is a crazy person off the street!"
Detective Vance didn't even look at the screaming bride. He reached into the brown leather briefcase and pulled out a stack of official-looking records, tossing them onto the table right in front of Douglas.
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"She didn't burn to death, Mr. Mercer," Detective Vance said. "She barely survived. She was pulled from the wreckage unconscious and severely burned. But she never made it to a real hospital."
👉 Where did Caroline actually go after the fire, and who put her there?
