Chapter 6 - the blue room)
We left through a corridor beneath the cathedral.
Daniel drove.
Adrian sat in front.
I sat in the back gripping Victor's brass key.
The old DeLuca estate stood forty minutes outside Boston on sixty acres of wooded land.
Dominic hated the place.
Victor loved it.
He had raised Dominic there before moving into the city after his wife's death.
The blue room had belonged to Victor's wife, Anna.
I had only seen it twice.
Pale blue walls.
Tall windows.
An antique writing desk.
Shelves filled with family photographs.
Victor locked it after Anna died.
As we approached the estate, Daniel received a call from the private security team.
"No visual?"
He listened.
"Check the east entrance."
Another pause.
"Nobody leaves."
He ended the call.
"Motion sensor was triggered near the second floor. Cameras went offline nine minutes ago."
"Jessica?"
"Possibly."
"Why would she know about the blue room?"
Daniel looked at Adrian.
Neither answered.
That frightened me more than an answer would have.
We entered through the kitchen.
Two security officers joined us.
The house smelled closed and cold.
I had attended Christmas dinners there.
Anniversaries.
Board celebrations.
Now every hallway felt like evidence.
We climbed the staircase.
The blue room door stood open.
My key was still in my hand.
Daniel immediately drew his phone and told security to search the floor.
I stepped inside.
The room had been disturbed.
Desk drawers hung open.
Books lay on the carpet.
A painting had been pulled from the wall.
Adrian swore.
"She knew."
"About what?"
Daniel walked to the far wall.
Behind the removed painting was a safe.
Its door was open.
Empty.
I felt sick.
"We're too late."
Daniel shook his head.
"No."
He examined the safe.
"Victor expected this."
"How do you know?"
"Because that's not the safe."
He moved to Anna's antique writing desk.
One drawer refused to open.
I inserted Victor's brass key.
It clicked.
Inside was another key.
Smaller.
Silver.
And a handwritten note.
People search walls when they want secrets. Your mother always searched foundations.
I stared at the sentence.
"Foundations."
Daniel looked down.
The rug beneath the desk was unusually thick.
We moved the furniture.
Underneath was a narrow brass plate set into the hardwood.
The silver key opened it.
A section of flooring rose.
Inside was a waterproof case.
Adrian laughed once.
"Victor."
Daniel lifted it onto the desk.
Inside were three hard drives.
Two phones.
A stack of handwritten journals.
And a small voice recorder.
On top was an envelope addressed to me.
Before I could open it, we heard shouting downstairs.
Security brought Jessica into the room.
She had removed her emerald dress and thrown on a black coat over it.
Her hair was tangled.
She stared at the open floor compartment.
Her face collapsed.
I held up the envelope.
"Looking for this?"
"Elena."
"How did you get here before us?"
She said nothing.
Daniel held out his hand.
"Your phone."
"No."
"Then police can retrieve it later."
Jessica looked at Adrian.
"Do I need an attorney?"
Adrian said calmly, "Very much."
She laughed bitterly.
Then she looked at me.
"You have no idea what Victor did."
"My mother."
Jessica closed her eyes.
"What about her?"
"You knew her."
"No."
"Don't lie to me again."
"I knew about her."
"Before we became friends."
Jessica's silence answered.
My chest tightened.
"You chose me."
Her eyes opened.
"At first."
Two words.
They hurt more than seeing her with Dominic.
At first.
Our friendship had not been accidental.
"Why?"
Jessica looked toward the window.
"My father died believing Victor DeLuca destroyed him."
"Your father committed fraud."
"He did."
"Then what did you want from me?"
"Access."
"To Victor?"
"To Dominic."
I laughed without humor.
"And then you fell in love?"
Jessica's expression became disgusted.
"With Dominic?"
She almost spat the name.
"No."
That surprised everyone.
"Then why were you at the funeral with him?"
"Because we had a deal."
"What deal?"
Her mouth tightened.
Daniel's phone rang.
He stepped away.
Jessica lowered her voice.
"You think Dominic is the worst person in this family because you married him."
She looked at the case.
"Victor built an empire by burying bodies without killing anyone."
Adrian interrupted.
"Be careful."
Jessica laughed.
"Still protecting the dead billionaire?"
Daniel returned.
His face was grim.
"We have a problem."
"What?"
"Dominic has filed an emergency petition."
Adrian frowned.
"For what?"
"To have Elena declared mentally incompetent to manage marital or estate assets."
For several seconds I couldn't speak.
May you like
Jessica looked at me with something almost resembling pity.
Then she said, "That's only the beginning."
