Chapter 7 - The Unraveling Alibi
In the Cook County Detention Center, Vanessa's veneer of untouchable glamour completely disintegrated.
Stripped of her makeup, designer clothes, and million-dollar jewelry, she sat in an orange inmate jumpsuit across from her lead defense attorney, Marcus Kane.
"We have no play here, Vanessa," Kane said bluntly, slamming a four-hundred-page evidentiary dossier onto the stainless-steel table. "The video from the banquet server is verified. The chemical match between your dropper and the spilled drink is 99.9%. Cross gave up your encrypted chat logs, your bank transfers, and your voice memos. And Connecticut just unsealed the murder indictment for Arthur Kensington."
"Offer them a deal," Vanessa spat, her fingernails digging into the steel tabletop. "I'll surrender the Kensington estate! I'll give up all claims to Liam's wealth! I'll plead to manslaughter!"
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"The State Attorney isn't offering manslaughter," Kane replied coldly. "They are seeking life without the possibility of parole on three counts of premeditated murder and conspiracy. The only choice you have is whether you want to spend the rest of your life in a maximum-security cell, or let a jury decide on capital punishment."
Vanessa sank back into her chair, her breathing shallow, realizing that every dollar she had stolen, every lie she had spun, and every life she had extinguished had led her directly into an inescapable cage.
