Chapter 4 - DEREK'S STORY
Derek hired a criminal defense attorney before his second interview.
That told me enough.
His new version was simple.
He admitted firing the cannon.
He admitted intending to startle me.
But he denied placing metal inside it.
He claimed the wedding venue had supplied several identical launchers.
He suggested Aaron replaced his afterward because Aaron disliked him.
Vanessa supported the story.
According to her, she held a bag of decorative confetti while Derek refilled the launcher.
Nothing more.
The footage was “misleading.”
The text about my left side was supposedly about camera composition.
“He wanted the blast behind Claire, not directly at her.”
Vanessa told police.
Marissa showed me the transcript.
I almost admired the creativity.
Almost.
Then Aaron called me.
He sounded terrified.
“Somebody came to my house.”
“When?”
“Last night.”
“What happened?”
“They didn’t take money.”
“What did they take?”
“My backup drive.”
My stomach dropped.
Aaron had made two copies of his wedding footage.
One went to police.
The other stayed at his apartment.
Someone knew it existed.
“Did you tell Derek?”
“No.”
“Vanessa?”
“No.”
“Anyone?”
“My girlfriend.”
“Anybody else?”
He hesitated.
“I mentioned it to Tyler.”
Tyler Mason.
One of Derek’s groomsmen.
The same man Derek handed the cannon to after it fired.
Police questioned Tyler that evening.
He denied knowing about the break-in.
But he admitted Derek called him the morning after the reception.
“What did he want?”
Marissa asked.
Tyler looked uncomfortable.
“He wanted me to throw away the confetti cannon.”
“Why?”
“He said Claire might sue him.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
“What happened to it?”
“I put it near Aaron’s camera bags because I thought the videographer should keep the props.”
Aaron had not imagined how the cannon reached his equipment.
Tyler put it there.
That destroyed Derek’s claim that Aaron secretly replaced it.
Then Tyler added something nobody expected.
“Derek had another cannon.”
Marissa stopped writing.
“Where?”
“In his truck.”
“When did you see it?”
“Wedding morning.”
“Was it identical?”
“Yeah.”
“What happened to it?”
“I don’t know.”
Police searched Derek’s truck.
The second cannon was gone.
But they found something beneath the passenger seat.
A receipt from a metalworking supply store.
Purchased six days before the wedding.
One item was circled.
May you like
Fine stainless-steel cutting fragments.
And the credit card used belonged to Vanessa.
