Chapter 10 - The Death That Chose the Wrong Vale
Police sirens approached in the distance.
Reed heard them too.
His smile disappeared.
Adrian had called emergency services before entering the villa.
The county sheriff's department was arriving.
Reed began struggling again.
Adrian held him down until uniformed officers reached the carriage house.
Within minutes, Reed was handcuffed.
His badge was removed.
His weapon was bagged.
The sheriff himself arrived and listened to Adrian's account with visible disbelief.
But there were bullet holes in the house.
Two unconscious security guards.
Evelyn's restraints.
Celeste's handgun.
And Reed's attempt to shoot Adrian.
The story no longer sounded like paranoia.
It sounded like evidence.
Celeste was taken into custody as well.
Before officers placed her in a patrol car, she turned toward Adrian.
"Ask for protective isolation."
He frowned.
"What?"
"Tell them not to put me in general holding."
"Why would I help you?"
"Because if I die, you'll never understand why Thomas died instead of you."
The car door closed.
Adrian watched her leave.
Evelyn stood beside him.
"Don't believe her."
Adrian looked at his mother.
"You've said that before."
This time the words carried more bitterness than he intended.
Evelyn looked away.
Adrian softened.
"Mom."
"I know."
She touched his arm.
"I should have told you everything."
"Yes."
"I thought secrets were keeping you safe."
"They almost got you killed."
Evelyn nodded.
They moved into a hotel that night.
Vale House became a crime scene.
Adrian booked the entire top floor.
Private guards watched every elevator.
At three in the morning, he could not sleep.
Reed's words kept repeating.
You.
His father had died because someone intended to kill Adrian?
It made no sense.
Then Lucas Grant called.
"Where are you?"
"Safe."
"I heard about Reed."
"Did you know?"
"No."
"Can I trust you?"
Silence.
Lucas answered carefully.
"I hope so."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only honest one I have."
Adrian sat near the hotel window.
"Celeste mentioned Geneva."
Lucas became quiet.
"What about it?"
"Tell me."
"Adrian..."
"Everyone keeps deciding what I should know. I'm finished with that."
Lucas sighed.
"Three weeks before Thomas died, you were supposed to attend a summit in Geneva."
Adrian remembered.
He had canceled because of a company emergency.
"Yes."
"Thomas went instead."
"So?"
"His hotel room was broken into."
Adrian straightened.
"What was taken?"
"Nothing."
"Then why does it matter?"
"Because someone tampered with medication in the bathroom."
"What medication?"
"Thomas's heart pills."
Adrian felt cold.
"They weren't his room."
"What?"
Lucas continued.
"The reservation had originally been made under your name."
Adrian closed his eyes.
"You think they expected me."
"Thomas did."
"Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"Because he ordered us not to."
"Us?"
"Me. Mercer. Two security people."
"Why?"
"He believed Roman would stop if he thought the attempt failed accidentally."
Adrian laughed bitterly.
"That worked well."
"Thomas became obsessed with protecting you."
"By hiding everything."
"Yes."
"What happened after Geneva?"
"He confronted Celeste."
Adrian looked out across Manhattan.
"Did he know she was responsible?"
"He suspected."
"Was she?"
"I don't know."
"Who does?"
"Maybe Celeste."
Adrian hung up.
At 7:00 a.m., he visited the county detention center.
Celeste was waiting behind reinforced glass.
No burgundy dress now.
Gray institutional clothing.
No makeup.
No polished confidence.
She looked exhausted.
Adrian picked up the phone.
Celeste did the same.
"Did you ask for protective isolation?"
"Yes."
"Good."
"Why was I supposed to die?"
Celeste looked down.
"I don't know."
"Wrong answer."
"It's the truth."
"Reed said you were sent."
"I was."
"By Roman?"
"At first."
"Explain."
Celeste closed her eyes.
"My father worked for Orchard."
"What did he do?"
"Money transfers."
"When he tried to leave, Roman destroyed him financially."
"Then recruited you?"
"Not directly."
"Who?"
"A woman named Helena Cross."
Adrian knew the name.
Former chief financial officer of Vale Meridian.
She had retired six years earlier.
"Helena worked for my father."
"She worked for Roman."
Adrian stared.
"Did Dad know?"
"Eventually."
"Why did Thomas recruit you?"
"He discovered Helena had contacted me. He wanted me to pretend I accepted."
"So you became a double agent."
"For Thomas."
"Then you met me."
"That was Roman's instruction."
"Get close to Adrian Vale."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Celeste looked at him.
"At first, I thought he wanted information."
"And later?"
"I realized he wanted access."
"To what?"
"Your biometric authorization."
Adrian frowned.
Vale Meridian used a multi-factor security system for certain international accounts.
"What accounts?"
"Orchard."
"I don't have access to Orchard."
"You do without knowing it."
Adrian's pulse quickened.
"How?"
"Thomas transferred his master authority to you years ago."
"Why?"
"Insurance."
"Against Roman?"
"Against himself."
Adrian leaned closer to the glass.
"What does that mean?"
"Thomas built an emergency command into Orchard. A shutdown protocol."
"And I can trigger it?"
"Your biometric identity can."
"Then why kill me?"
Celeste swallowed.
"Because Roman couldn't override the protocol while you were alive."
The room seemed smaller.
"So Geneva was Roman."
"I believe so."
"Did you tamper with the medication?"
"No."
"Then who?"
"Helena."
"How do you know?"
"I saw her leave your hotel floor."
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
"Why didn't you stop her?"
"I tried."
"How?"
"I told Thomas."
"After?"
"Before he took the pills."
"Then why was he poisoned seven months later?"
Celeste looked devastated.
"Because he started believing I had changed sides."
"Had you?"
She hesitated.
That hesitation hurt more than any confession.
"Sometimes."
Adrian stared at her.
"What does that mean?"
"It means Roman threatened my sister."
"You have a sister?"
"Had."
The final word came quietly.
Adrian said nothing.
Celeste continued.
"Her body was found in Prague four months before Thomas died."
"I'm sorry."
"No, you're not."
"You're right."
She wiped her eyes.
"After that, I stopped believing Thomas could protect anyone."
"So you helped Roman."
"I gave him information."
"About my father?"
"Yes."
"About me?"
"Never."
"Why should I believe you?"
"You shouldn't."
Adrian appreciated the answer.
"Did you kill Thomas?"
Celeste looked at him for a long moment.
Then she said.
"I put digitalis in his whiskey."
Adrian's grip tightened around the phone.
There it was.
The confession.
"Why?"
"Roman said he had Evelyn."
Adrian could barely speak.
"My mother?"
"He sent me a photograph of her unconscious."
"When?"
"The night Thomas died."
Celeste's eyes filled.
"He told me if Thomas was alive at midnight, Evelyn would die."
"So you poisoned him."
"I gave him enough to make him collapse."
"That's murder."
"I thought Mercer could save him."
"You left him on the floor."
"I called Mercer anonymously."
Adrian remembered the timeline.
Celeste left the study at 10:19.
The unknown figure entered at 10:23.
"What happened before you left?"
"Thomas realized what I'd done."
"Did he say anything?"
"Yes."
"What?"
Celeste looked at Adrian.
"He said, 'You chose exactly what Roman expected you to choose.'"
Adrian felt sick.
"Then?"
"He gave me the key."
"Why?"
"He told me to take it."
"Why would he give you the key to his hidden evidence?"
Celeste shook her head.
"He said the real key wasn't the brass one."
Adrian frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"I don't know."
"And after you left?"
"I heard someone enter the study."
"Roman?"
"I thought so."
"Did you see him?"
"No."
"Then how do you know you didn't kill Dad?"
Celeste leaned closer.
"Because when I left that room, Thomas was conscious."
Adrian stared at her.
"He was alive?"
"Yes."
"How long could he have survived?"
"I don't know."
"Then Roman entered."
"Someone entered."
"And finished the job."
Celeste nodded.
Adrian was about to stand when she said.
"There's something else."
He looked back.
"Thomas whispered one more thing before I left."
"What?"
May you like
Celeste's voice dropped.
"Tell Adrian his brother is still alive."
