Chapter 9 - Checkmate
Julian froze at the podium.
All the color drained from his face, leaving him looking like a freshly minted corpse.
The handkerchief slipped from his fingers.
Sylvia stood up, her jaw practically unhinging, letting out a strangled, breathless squeak.
"Julian," I said.
My voice carried, clear and sharp, cutting through the stunned silence.
"You forgot to pay for the embalming."
"Clara...?" Julian stammered, backing away from the microphone.
"You're... you're dead.
The storm..."
"The storm didn't finish me," I said, stopping ten feet from the stage.
"And neither did the antifreeze you were putting in my coffee for six months."
The crowd erupted into murmurs of shock.
Elias stepped into the room behind me, flanked by two Anchorage Police detectives we had briefed an hour prior.
"Julian Vance," one of the detectives announced, stepping forward with handcuffs unclipped.
"Step away from the podium.
We have a warrant for your arrest for attempted murder, insurance fraud, and reckless endangerment."
Julian’s eyes darted toward the side exit.
He lunged.
He didn't make it two steps.
“Titan, take!” I commanded.
The black Malinois became a blur of muscle and teeth.
May you like
Titan hit Julian squarely in the chest, taking the man to the ground with a sickening thud.
Julian screamed as Titan stood over him, jaws snapped shut inches from his throat, waiting for my next command.
