The entire chapel seemed to freeze as the truth lay exposed under the bright daylight pouring through the tall stained glass windows. Richard took a step back, clutching his chest as he looked around the silent room, but Leo refused to move an inch away.
Richard: Close it! Close the lid right now!
Leo: If you step any closer, Richard, I swear I'll use this crowbar on you!
Richard: You think anyone will believe a street teenager over a chief executive officer?!
Leo: They don't need to believe me. Look around you!
Leo reached down into the box, his hands shaking as he carefully peeled the thick black tape away from his sister's mouth. Maya gasped for air, coughing heavily as she tried to lift her bound hands toward her brother while crying in relief.
Maya: Leo... Leo, he took... he took the key to the vault...
Richard: Shut up, Maya!
Evelyn: Richard, don't you dare speak to her like that! What did you do to your daughter?!
Richard: She was going to ruin everything, Evelyn! She was going to destroy the entire family estate!
Leo: She was going to expose your fake life insurance claim!
Richard reached into his sharp suit jacket, his hand closing around a small black remote control that locked the chapel doors electronically. He pressed the button, and the heavy double doors clicked shut, locking everyone inside the room together.
Richard: Guards, clear this room and lock the doors from the outside! Do it now!
The security guards hesitated, looking between the terrified girl inside the casket and their wealthy boss holding the remote control.
Leo: Don't touch those doors! You're aiding a kidnapping!
Richard: I pay your salaries! Get them out of here!
The tall guard took a cautious step toward Leo, pulling a pair of steel handcuffs from his leather utility belt.
Guard 1: Kid, just step away from the casket. We'll handle the rest.
Leo: You're going to let him bury her alive?!
Guard 1: We just follow orders.
Maya pulled herself up against the satin lining, her eyes pleading desperately with her stepmother standing near the middle pews.
Maya: Stepmom... please... check his coat pocket... the inheritance papers are in his coat!
Evelyn: Inheritance papers? What is she talking about, Richard?
Richard: She's confused, Evelyn! She was sedated by the clinic doctor!
Maya: I wasn't sedated! He forced me into the back of his luxury car last night!
Leo: I saw him haul her out of the house, Mrs. Vance! That's why I followed his car all the way to this chapel!
Richard: This is a private family affair! Guards, take the boy into the hallway!
Evelyn: Stop right there!
Evelyn Vance stepped directly into the path of the two security guards, her voice cold and commanding like steel.
Evelyn: Touch that boy, and I'll have every divorce lawyer in Dallas on your back by noon.
Guard 1: Mrs. Vance, we work for your husband's firm.
Evelyn: My family owns fifty-one percent of the shares in that firm. You work for me.
The guards froze instantly, stepping back toward the arched windows as they realized who actually held the power in the room. Richard glared at his wife, his fists clenched tight at his sides as his master plan began to fall apart completely.
Richard: Evelyn, don't do this. You have no idea what is at stake here.
Evelyn: Then explain it to me, Richard. Why is my stepdaughter tied up in a coffin inside our private family chapel?
Leo: Because her grandfather left the entire trust fund to her, not him!
Maya: Grandpa changed his will two weeks before he died. He knew Dad was draining the family trust.
Richard: Your grandfather was old and senile! He didn't know what he was signing!
Maya: He was completely sharp, Dad! He left the three million dollars directly to me and Leo so you couldn't pay off debts!
Evelyn's breath hitched as she turned to face her husband, realization dawning on her face like a cold wave of water.
Evelyn: Gambling debts? Richard... you told me the business loan was for the new estate development!
Richard: She's lying to you, Evelyn! She's trying to turn you against me so she can keep the money!
Leo: He brought her here because the funeral home was supposed to transport this casket to the cemetery at four!
Maya: He told the funeral director I passed away from a sudden heart condition. He forged the doctor's signature on the certificate!
Evelyn's face transformed from confusion to absolute, freezing horror as she stared at the man she had been married to for six years.