Chapter 1 - THE GRAVE-SIDE SCREENINGThe heavy, suffocating silence of St. Jude’s Cathedral was broken not by a prayer, but by the sharp click of a USB drive entering a media port.
Derek Mercer stood frozen beside my portable dialysis machine, his theatrical grief instantly turning to ash as the massive church projector screens flickered to life. Instead of the memorial photo slideshow of my sister Natalie smiling on a beach, high-definition security footage filled the sanctuary.
It was 2:13 a.m. Two nights before Natalie's car plunged through the guardrail.
On the screen, Derek was clearly visible crouching beneath Natalie’s sedan, a wrench in one hand, deliberately severing the brake line. His reflection caught the garage light, perfectly illuminating his face.
The three hundred mourners—friends, family, and local politicians—gasped in unison.
Derek’s face went corpse-white. He whipped around, his eyes locking onto me with pure, murderous panic.
"What... what is this?!" Derek choked out, his voice cracking over the cathedral's audio system. He lunged toward my pew, desperate to rip the burner phone from my hand.
May you like
I didn't flinch. I slowly adjusted the blanket over my lap, keeping my hand steady on the warm plastic of the device.
"Smile for the cameras, Derek," I whispered, echoing his exact words from five minutes prior. "Or everyone here finds out what else you left in Natalie's will."
