Chapter 3 - THE BLOOD ON THE GOLDEN POCKET WATCH
I stared at the blood-stained watch in my trembling hand.
I recognized the crest engraved on the back. It was the Moretti family crest.
I didn’t wait. I left Vanessa’s clothes on the floor, clutched the watch, and sprinted down the hallway toward Luca’s private study.
The door was slightly ajar.
I pushed it open.
Luca was standing by the fireplace, pouring a glass of whiskey.
“Mr. Moretti,” I breathed.
He turned. When he saw the sheer terror on my face, he set the glass down.
“What is it, Olivia?”
I walked forward and placed the silver watch on his mahogany desk.
Luca stared at it.
The color drained entirely from his face.
He didn’t reach for it immediately. He looked at it as if it were a live grenade.
“Where did you find this?” he asked, his voice hollow.
“It was inside the real vase. Hidden in Vanessa’s closet.”
Luca slowly reached out and picked up the heavy timepiece. His thumb brushed over the dried blood on the cracked glass.
“This was my brother’s watch,” Luca whispered.
My heart skipped a beat.
Michael Moretti. Luca’s older brother. He had died three years ago in a violent ambush at the docks. His murder had forced Luca to take over the syndicate.
“When the police found Michael’s body,” Luca said, his voice tightening with suppressed rage, “his watch was missing. The killer took it as a trophy.”
I backed away.
“If Vanessa had it...” I started.
“It means she knows who killed my brother,” Luca finished. “Or she was involved.”
Suddenly, a small voice echoed from the doorway.
“Uncle Luca?”
We both turned.
Standing in the doorway was Leo. He was six years old, wearing oversized Batman pajamas, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
He was Michael’s son.
Since his father’s death and his mother’s subsequent breakdown, Luca had raised the boy as his own.
Luca’s terrifying demeanor vanished instantly. He crouched down and opened his arms.
“Hey, buddy,” Luca said softly. “What are you doing out of bed?”
Leo walked over and hugged Luca’s neck.
“I heard yelling,” Leo mumbled. “Is the mean lady gone?”
Leo had always hated Vanessa. Children always see the truth before adults do.
“She’s going away, Leo,” Luca promised. “You don’t have to worry about her anymore.”
Leo pulled back, his brown eyes looking at the desk. He saw the silver watch.
“That’s daddy’s watch,” Leo said matter-of-factly.
Luca froze. “You remember this, buddy?”
“Yeah,” Leo nodded. “The mean lady had it in her purse last week. She showed it to the man with the scar.”
The air left my lungs.
“What man with a scar?” Luca asked, his voice dangerously calm.
“The man who came to the back gate,” Leo explained. “He had a lightning bolt on his wrist. I saw them from my window.”
Elias Thorne.
Vanessa hadn’t just hired Elias to move the crates. They were working together. The man who supposedly died two years ago, and the woman trying to marry Luca today.
“Olivia,” Luca said, standing up. “Take Leo to my bedroom. Lock the door.”
“What are you going to do?” I asked.
“I’m going to have a conversation with my fiancée.”
Luca grabbed his gun from the desk drawer and walked out.
I picked Leo up and hurried to the master suite, locking the heavy doors behind us.
I sat on the bed, holding the little boy, my mind racing.
If Elias and Vanessa were working together, why did Vanessa sell the black leather notebook at the auction?
Unless she didn't sell it.
Unless Elias bought it using his own name to send a message to Luca.
Ten minutes passed.
Then, the flashing red and blue lights of police cruisers illuminated the bedroom windows.
I ran to the glass.
Four squad cars had breached the front gates. Heavily armed detectives were swarming the lawn.
My phone buzzed in my apron pocket.
It was Daniel, the head of security.
“Olivia,” Daniel said, his voice frantic. “Do not open the bedroom door. The police are here with an arrest warrant.”
“For Vanessa?” I asked hopefully.
“No,” Daniel swore. “They’re here for Luca.”
“For what?!”
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“Vanessa just called 911 from the guest wing. She told them Luca murdered his own brother three years ago. And she said the murder weapon is in his study.”
TITLE: The Warrant In The Detective's Hand
