Chapter 7 - The Attorney Steps UpEvery head in the church snapped toward the rear entrance.
A tall, impeccably dressed man wearing a charcoal three-piece suit walked briskly down the central aisle, carrying a thick, leather-bound briefcase. Behind him marched two uniformed federal marshals and an official state investigator.
It was Attorney Julian Vance—one of the top corporate and financial crime lawyers in the state, whom I had retained three days prior using my independent bank account.
Marcus gripped the edges of the pulpit, his knuckles turning stark white. “W-What is the meaning of this?! This is a house of God! You cannot interrupt—!”
“Mr. Marcus Carter,” Attorney Vance interrupted loudly, stopping right beside me at the base of the stairs, opening his briefcase, and pulling out a heavy stack of legal documents. “I am Julian Vance, senior partner at Vance & Associates Financial Litigation.”
The sanctuary was so quiet you could hear the hum of the television cameras.
“You are not only standing in a house of God,” Attorney Vance continued, his voice ringing with absolute authority, “you are standing in the center of an active federal and state criminal investigation for wire fraud, identity forgery, embezzlement of benevolent funds, and racketeering.”
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Panic exploded across the congregation. Screams and gasps bounced off the stained-glass windows.
Derek bolted from the sound booth near the back doors, attempting to sprint toward the exit, but the two federal marshals intercepted him instantly, slamming him against the back wall and snapping steel handcuffs onto his wrists.
