Chapter 3 - THE LETTER IN THE LINING
The silence in the grand hallway was suffocating.
Sixty guests were laughing and drinking champagne in the ballroom just down the hall, entirely unaware that Luca Moretti’s world had just stopped spinning.
Luca looked at Vanessa.
Her perfectly manicured hands were shaking. She took a step back, her expensive silk gown rustling against the marble floor.
"Luca," she stammered. "The child is confused. She’s making things up because she’s grieving."
"She’s nine," Luca said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, terrifying calm. "She doesn't know how to invent medical records."
He turned his back on his fiancée and knelt in front of Amelia again.
"Sweetheart," Luca said softly, completely ignoring the panic radiating from Vanessa. "Where did you hide Mommy's letter?"
Amelia looked at me.
Her large, frightened eyes sought permission. I gave her a tiny, reassuring nod.
"In my room," Amelia whispered. "Inside Mr. Barnaby."
Mr. Barnaby was a massive stuffed bear that sat in the corner of her bedroom. I dusted it every Tuesday.
"Sophie," Luca said without looking at me. "Take us upstairs. Now."
We moved quickly. Luca lifted Amelia into his arms, carrying her like she weighed nothing. I led the way up the grand, curving staircase, my heart pounding against my ribs.
Vanessa tried to follow us.
"Luca, you cannot leave our engagement dinner!" she pleaded, grabbing the banister.
Luca stopped. He turned his head just enough to look down at her.
"If you are still in my house when I come back downstairs," Luca said, his voice like ice, "I will have my men drag you out by your hair."
Vanessa froze, the color draining entirely from her face.
We reached Amelia's bedroom. It was painted pale pink, smelling faintly of lavender.
Luca set Amelia down gently. She walked straight to the giant stuffed bear, unzipped a small, hidden seam along its back, and reached her little arm inside.
She pulled out a crumpled, sealed blue envelope.
Caroline’s favorite color.
Amelia handed it to her father. "Mommy told me to give this to you if she went to heaven. But she said I couldn't let the bad doctor see it."
Luca’s hands actually trembled as he took the envelope.
He tore it open.
Inside was a single sheet of stationary. I could see Caroline’s elegant, flowing handwriting.
Luca read the first line.
He stopped breathing.
His eyes scanned the rest of the page, moving faster and faster. The muscles in his jaw tightened so fiercely I thought his teeth might shatter.
"Mr. Moretti?" I asked quietly.
He didn't look up. "She knew."
"Knew what, Daddy?" Amelia asked.
Luca folded the letter and put it inside his breast pocket. He looked at his daughter with a sorrow so deep it made my chest ache.
"She knew she wasn't getting sicker," Luca whispered. "She knew she was being poisoned."
My blood ran cold.
Caroline hadn't died of her illness. She had been murdered.
"Who?" I gasped.
Luca looked at me, his eyes burning with a rage that belonged to the mafia boss the world feared.
"The man on the recording," Luca said. "Dr. Evans."
Answer one: The medical records were forged to hide the poison in Caroline's system.
Open two: Why would the family's trusted physician of ten years murder Caroline?
"Dr. Evans," I realized aloud. "He’s the one who treated her. He’s the one who signed her death certificate."
"And," Luca added, his voice hollow, "he is sitting at table number four in my ballroom right now."
A reversal hit me like a physical blow.
Vanessa hadn't just brought a random man into the house. She was actively conspiring with the doctor who killed Caroline.
"Sophie," Luca said, his tone shifting into absolute command. "Lock this door. Do not let anyone inside except me. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir," I said, stepping between Amelia and the doorway.
Luca turned to leave, but Amelia grabbed his sleeve.
"Daddy?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Are you going to hurt him?"
Luca paused. He looked at his sweet, innocent daughter. He forced his features to soften.
"I'm just going to ask him a few questions, baby," Luca lied beautifully. "I'll be right back."
He stepped out and pulled the door shut. I immediately turned the deadbolt.
I hugged Amelia close, telling her everything was going to be fine.
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But three minutes later, a blood-curdling scream echoed from the ballroom downstairs.
And it wasn't Vanessa.
