Chapter 9 - THE WEDDING THAT WASN’T CANCELED
The public announcement went out the next morning.
RICHARD STERLING AND VANESSA COLE INTEND TO PROCEED WITH PRIVATE WEDDING
Every reporter in Nashville lost their mind.
Daniel read the statement twice.
“It’s believable.”
Richard looked at him.
“That sounded insulting.”
“It was supposed to.”
Mallory placed her phone on the table.
“Vanessa has already seen it.”
“How do you know?”
“The burner number connected to her accessed three news sites within eight minutes.”
Richard leaned back.
The plan was simple.
At least in theory.
Vanessa believed Richard had discovered the fraud but still lacked the complete evidence linking her to Laura’s death.
She also believed the original transfer document and memory card remained valuable.
Police wanted her to surface.
Richard gave her something stronger than money.
Hope.
The public statement implied Richard was willing to reconcile.
His attorney privately contacted one of Vanessa’s known legal representatives.
Message:
Richard wants this handled quietly. No charges involving Sophie if Vanessa returns and explains everything.
It was a lie.
Richard hated lying.
But Daniel reminded him, “You’re not promising immunity. You’re offering a conversation.”
Vanessa responded four hours later.
One sentence.
Tell Richard I want to hear him say it.
A phone call was arranged.
Police recorded it.
Richard sat in Laura’s old office.
Vanessa’s voice came through.
“Do you hate me?”
Richard stared through the window.
“I don’t know what I feel.”
True enough.
“You called police.”
“You ran.”
“You accused me of killing Laura.”
“I accused you of lying.”
Silence.
Vanessa’s voice softened.
The voice Richard once believed.
“I loved Sophie.”
Richard’s hand tightened around the phone.
“Don’t.”
“I did.”
“You starved her.”
“I gave her cereal.”
“In a dog bowl.”
“She needed consequences.”
Richard closed his eyes.
Behind the glass, Mallory shook her head, warning him not to lose control.
Vanessa continued.
“She was going to ruin everything.”
There.
Richard spoke carefully.
“What did she know?”
“Enough.”
“About Laura?”
Silence.
“Vanessa?”
“She found the video.”
“I know.”
“She kept saying she would show you.”
“And you were afraid.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Vanessa’s breathing changed.
“Because Laura lied about me.”
“What lie?”
“That I hurt her.”
Richard waited.
Vanessa continued.
“I didn’t kill your wife.”
“Then who did?”
Silence.
Richard’s pulse accelerated.
“You know.”
“Richard…”
“Tell me.”
“You really want the truth?”
“Yes.”
“You won’t believe it.”
“Try me.”
Long pause.
“Thomas.”
Richard already suspected him.
Still, hearing the name hurt.
“What did Thomas do?”
“He handled the car.”
Richard froze.
Mallory immediately leaned forward.
Daniel’s face sharpened.
“What do you mean handled?”
Vanessa realized she had said too much.
“Nothing.”
“Vanessa.”
“I meant he followed her.”
“That isn’t what you said.”
She became defensive.
“Laura was drugged. She panicked. Thomas followed to make sure she didn’t go to police.”
“How was she drugged?”
Silence.
“Vanessa?”
“I don’t know.”
“You brought her tea.”
“That was days earlier!”
“So someone drugged her twice?”
Silence.
Richard whispered, “Who?”
Vanessa’s voice cracked.
“Kern gave Thomas something.”
There.
“What?”
“I don’t know what it was.”
“And Thomas gave it to Laura?”
“I wasn’t there.”
“But you followed Laura from St. Mark’s.”
Another silence.
Richard knew he had her.
“You were behind Laura’s car.”
“I wanted to talk to her.”
“While she was impaired?”
“I didn’t know she was impaired.”
“Laura recorded you following her.”
Vanessa inhaled sharply.
She hadn’t known that.
Richard continued.
“What happened next?”
Nothing.
“Vanessa, what happened?”
“She drove too fast.”
“Because you were chasing her?”
“I wasn’t chasing her!”
“What were you doing?”
“Trying to get the documents!”
The room went perfectly silent.
Richard’s voice dropped.
“What documents?”
Vanessa breathed heavily.
“The copies Charles gave her.”
“So you followed my drugged wife while trying to take evidence from her.”
“I didn’t know Thomas had already done it!”
“Done what?”
Silence.
Richard leaned closer to the phone.
“Drugged her?”
Vanessa began crying.
Richard felt nothing.
Not anymore.
“Thomas said she would just get sleepy. That’s all. She was supposed to pull over. We were supposed to take the file.”
“But she crashed.”
“I didn’t touch her car!”
“Did Thomas?”
“I don’t know!”
“Did you see him near it?”
“He was at the church before Laura arrived.”
Richard’s heart stopped.
“What?”
“He said he needed to make sure her tracker was working.”
Tracker.
Laura had believed she was being watched.
“Where did he put it?”
“I don’t know.”
Richard looked at Daniel.
Daniel scribbled: Could have tampered with vehicle.
Richard continued.
“Why should I believe you?”
“Because Thomas is the one you should be looking for!”
“We are.”
Vanessa became silent.
Richard added, “Come in.”
“No.”
“You say you didn’t kill Laura.”
“I didn’t.”
“Then help prove it.”
Vanessa laughed bitterly.
“You’ll let me walk?”
“I’ll listen.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“It’s what I can offer.”
Another pause.
“What about Sophie?”
Richard’s expression changed.
“What about her?”
“She hates me now.”
“She’s afraid of you.”
“I never meant for that.”
Richard almost lost control.
Instead, he whispered, “You made a six-year-old believe her father wanted her punished.”
Vanessa said nothing.
“If you ever speak her name like you cared about her again, this conversation ends.”
Long silence.
Then Vanessa asked, “Where?”
Richard looked at Mallory.
Mallory nodded.
“Wedding venue.”
Vanessa actually laughed.
“You’re serious?”
“You wanted to marry me.”
“You still want to?”
Richard stared at Laura’s photograph.
“No.”
For once, he gave Vanessa the complete truth.
“But I want this to end where you planned to finish it.”
The wedding estate was secured two days later.
No guests.
No flowers.
No music.
Just police hidden throughout the property.
Vanessa arrived at 5:40 p.m.
Alone.
At least apparently.
She wore jeans, sunglasses and a long coat.
Richard waited inside the chapel where he had once intended to marry her.
She walked down the empty aisle.
“You look terrible,” she said.
Richard almost smiled.
“So do you.”
She stopped ten feet away.
“Do you have the documents?”
“Do you have the truth?”
Vanessa looked around.
“You promised no police.”
“I never promised that.”
Her face hardened.
“You always did twist words.”
“I learned from experts.”
She took a breath.
“Thomas planned the fraud before Laura knew.”
“Why?”
“Money.”
“That’s not enough.”
“For Martin, it was.”
“And Thomas?”
Vanessa looked at Richard.
“He hated you.”
Richard flinched despite himself.
“Why?”
“Because everything came easily to you.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“No. That’s what he believed.”
She laughed softly.
“Your company. Laura. Your father’s respect. Even Charles hated you for a while.”
“Thomas was my friend.”
“He wanted your life.”
The phrase echoed.
Richard looked at her.
“So did you.”
Vanessa did not deny it.
“I wanted a life where nobody treated me like staff.”
“You could have built one.”
“People like you always say that.”
Richard shook his head.
“No. People like you say theft was the only option because the alternative requires admitting you chose it.”
Her eyes flashed.
“Don’t lecture me.”
“Then finish.”
Vanessa looked toward the chapel windows.
“Thomas helped Martin hide Foundation money. Laura found it. Kern told us she had to be scared off.”
“How?”
“The tea.”
“Who put the sedative in it?”
“I did.”
Richard stopped.
Vanessa’s voice became quiet.
“I put it in the tea the first time.”
Richard’s jaw tightened.
“Why?”
“To scare her. Make her question herself.”
“And the day she died?”
“Thomas.”
“You know that?”
“He told me.”
Richard’s heartbeat pounded.
“What did he say?”
Vanessa swallowed.
“He put something in her water bottle while she was inside St. Mark’s.”
Richard closed his eyes.
Laura always carried a silver water bottle.
He could see it.
“What happened after?”
“I followed her.”
“To steal the files?”
“Yes.”
“She crashed.”
Vanessa’s eyes became wet.
“She swerved.”
Richard barely breathed.
“Why?”
“I pulled beside her.”
His head snapped up.
“What?”
“She was slowing down. I thought she was going to stop.”
“So you drove beside her.”
“I wanted her to pull over!”
Richard’s hands shook.
“She looked at me.”
Vanessa’s voice trembled.
“And?”
“She looked terrified.”
Richard’s chest tightened painfully.
“Then Thomas’s SUV came up behind us.”
Richard froze.
“What did he do?”
Vanessa cried now.
“He hit her.”
Silence.
Not emotional silence.
Absolute silence.
The kind that follows the end of a life.
Richard whispered, “He hit Laura’s car?”
“From behind.”
“On purpose?”
“Yes.”
Richard closed his eyes.
Vanessa continued through tears.
“Not hard at first. Just enough to scare her toward the shoulder.”
“But?”
“She lost control.”
Richard saw Laura’s wrecked car.
The police photographs.
The broken guardrail.
The investigator saying weather and speed likely caused the crash.
There had been no weather.
Laura had not been speeding by choice.
She had been drugged.
Chased.
Hit.
Richard opened his eyes.
“Where is Thomas?”
Vanessa shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
“That’s why you came?”
“I want protection.”
Richard stared at her.
“You abused my daughter, helped steal millions and covered up my wife’s murder.”
“I can testify!”
“You can.”
A door opened behind her.
Detective Mallory entered.
Vanessa spun around.
“No!”
“Vanessa Cole, you’re under arrest.”
Vanessa backed away.
“You set me up!”
Richard looked at her.
“No.”
She stared.
“You did that yourself.”
Officers moved in.
Then a gunshot exploded outside.
Everyone dropped.
Mallory drew her weapon.
Another shot.
Glass shattered.
A security officer shouted through the radio.
“Shooter on the east ridge!”
Vanessa screamed.
Richard was pulled behind a stone column.
Then his phone buzzed.
A text.
Unknown number.
A photograph of the chapel taken seconds earlier through a rifle scope.
Message:
Laura was first. You were supposed to be second.
Richard looked at Daniel.
May you like
Thomas Bell had finally surfaced.
And he had a rifle.
