Chapter 3 - FOUR MISSING MINUTES
The first police officer entered the ballroom at 8:17 p.m.
By 8:24, there were four.
The guests who had been whispering were now openly filming.
Preston tried to have everyone put their phones away.
Nobody listened.
The wedding had already stopped being a wedding.
It had become evidence.
Detective Maria Alvarez arrived less than twenty minutes later.
She was forty-three, composed, and unimpressed by wealth.
That made Preston dislike her immediately.
She separated the family.
Grant was taken to a small conference room.
Diane was questioned beside the ballroom office.
Preston demanded his attorney.
Celeste asked for water.
Evelyn stayed beside Sophie.
Vincent remained nearby but did not interfere.
That surprised Detective Alvarez.
She knew who he was.
Everyone in Chicago law enforcement over forty knew who Vincent Moretti was.
His name had once appeared in organized-crime investigations, federal hearings, and newspaper headlines.
But during the past fifteen years, he had slowly moved his money into legitimate businesses.
Hotels.
Construction.
Shipping.
Restaurants.
There were still rumors.
There were always rumors.
But tonight, Alvarez cared about only one thing.
A seven-year-old child had been assaulted in front of witnesses.
And a necklace worth nearly three million dollars had disappeared.
She crouched in front of Sophie.
“I’m Detective Maria.”
Sophie nodded.
“I’m Sophie.”
“I know.”
Maria smiled gently.
“Your mom can stay right beside you.”
Evelyn squeezed Sophie’s hand.
Maria continued.
“Can you tell me what happened upstairs?”
Sophie repeated the story.
She had gone looking for Evelyn.
She had walked toward the bridal suite.
The door had been partly open.
Inside, Diane stood near the dresser.
Grant entered carrying a blue velvet box.
Sophie heard Diane say nobody could know until “he signs it.”
Then Preston appeared at the opposite end of the hallway.
Sophie became frightened because her father had told her earlier not to leave the ballroom.
She hid behind a decorative curtain.
From there, she saw Grant leave the room without the box.
“What happened after that?” Maria asked.
“Daddy went inside.”
“For how long?”
Sophie thought.
“I counted.”
Maria paused.
“You counted?”
“My teacher says counting helps when I’m scared.”
Evelyn’s eyes filled with tears.
“How high did you count?”
“Two hundred nineteen.”
Maria looked at her.
“That’s a long time.”
Sophie nodded.
“Then Daddy came out.”
“Was he carrying anything?”
Sophie hesitated.
“Something was under his jacket.”
Across the ballroom, Preston was arguing with another officer.
Maria followed Sophie’s gaze.
Then she turned back.
“What did you do?”
“I waited.”
“And then?”
“Grandma came out.”
“Did she have the necklace?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did she see you?”
Sophie’s eyes dropped.
“I think so.”
Evelyn became still.
“What happened?”
Sophie pulled something from the tiny satin pocket sewn into her dress.
It was a silver key.
Small.
Old-fashioned.
Stamped with the number 314.
“I found this where Grandma was standing.”
Vincent looked sharply at the key.
Detective Alvarez held out an evidence bag.
“May I see it?”
Sophie placed the key inside.
Vincent stepped closer.
“Detective.”
Maria looked at him.
“I recognize that style.”
“From where?”
“Union Heritage Bank.”
Preston stopped arguing.
His entire body went rigid.
Vincent pointed toward the key.
“Their old safe-deposit boxes use numbered silver keys.”
Maria looked at Preston.
Then at Diane.
“Does box 314 mean anything to either of you?”
Diane said nothing.
Preston said nothing.
Celeste did.
“My prenuptial agreement.”
Everyone turned.
Celeste’s voice shook.
“My attorney told me Preston had a separate financial disclosure packet held at Union Heritage.”
Preston stared at her.
“Celeste.”
She stepped back.
“You told me it contained business documents.”
“It does.”
Vincent’s eyes narrowed.
May you like
Celeste looked at the silver key.
“The box number was 314.”
