Chapter 17 - The Cathedral Confession
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Detective Alvarez pulled a small, black remote from her pocket and pressed a single button.
The cathedral’s massive speaker system, wired directly to the police van outside, crackled to life. Suddenly, Evan’s own voice filled the sacred space, echoing off the vaulted ceilings for all four hundred guests to hear.
"Once she says it before four hundred people, she won’t dare refuse the papers."
The crowd gasped.
Then, Lucinda’s cold voice played: "And the transfers?"
"Finished after the vows," Evan’s recorded voice bragged loudly. "If she fights, the warehouse fire makes her father look like the thief. You’ll be begging for a settlement from your own company..."
Complete pandemonium broke out in the pews. Gasps, shouts, and the furious clicking of cameras filled the air. Investors, board members, and city officials stared at the altar in absolute horror.
Lucinda surged into the aisle, her face pale with terror. “Turn that off! It’s a deepfake! She trapped us!”
A plainclothes detective immediately stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
“Turn that off right now!” Evan screamed, lunging for the microphone in my hand.
Alvarez caught his wrist in mid-air, twisting his arm sharply behind his back.
“Evan Mercer,” Alvarez barked, flashing her gold police shield. “You are under arrest for conspiracy, aggravated wire fraud, identity theft, and felony arson.”
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Evan thrashed wildly, screaming obscenities, completely losing his mind as the carefully constructed illusion of his life shattered into a million pieces. The two detectives from the side doors sprinted up the altar steps, tackling Evan to the marble floor and securing his wrists in heavy steel handcuffs.
“No!” I said loudly, pressing a linen handkerchief to my bleeding lip. “I didn't trap you. I just documented who you really are.”
