Chapter 3 - The Woman in the PhotographDominic reached for his phone.
"Who's in there?" he demanded.
No answer came.
He wheeled toward the bookcase, moving so quickly that one wheel struck the corner of his desk.
Fay hurried to steady it.
"Don't touch me."
"Then stop trying to overturn yourself."
He glared at her, but she was already examining the lock.
"Do you have a key?"
"No."
"Does Mrs. Gable?"
"She has every key in this house."
Dominic pressed the intercom.
"Carmine. Third floor. Now."
Within seconds, heavy footsteps sounded in the corridor.
Carmine Russo, Dominic's longtime driver and head of security, entered with one hand resting near his jacket.
He was broad-shouldered, gray at the temples, and carried himself with the quiet confidence of someone who had survived dangerous situations without needing to advertise it.
"Boss?"
"Open that door."
Carmine examined the lock.
"Who was here?"
"That's what we're going to find out."
Carmine unlocked the door.
The room beyond was small, windowless, and covered in dust. It contained old filing cabinets, several cardboard boxes, and a desk with a broken lamp.
There was no one inside.
But the desk drawer stood open.
Dominic's face changed.
"Check the cabinets."
Carmine searched the room while Fay remained near the doorway.
On the desk lay a photograph.
The woman in it was the same one Dominic had turned facedown earlier.
Only this time, she wasn't standing beside him.
She was holding a baby.
On the back, someone had written a date and a single sentence.
He must never find out what happened that night.
Dominic's hands went still.
"Where did you find this?" Fay asked.
He took the photograph from her.
"My wife died six months before my accident."
"Who took the picture?"
"I don't know."
"Who's the baby?"
His expression hardened.
"Get out."
Fay stepped back.
But before she reached the door, she noticed something else.
A small envelope had been pushed beneath the desk. Inside was a flash drive and a folded hospital discharge sheet.
She picked it up.
Dominic snatched the paper from her hand.
The name printed at the top belonged to Elena Corso, his late wife.
The discharge date was two days before her death.
Under the section marked infant identification, the name had been scratched out with a black pen.
Dominic stared at the page.
"My wife was never pregnant."
Carmine looked uncomfortable.
"Boss, maybe we should take this downstairs."
"No."
Dominic's voice became dangerously quiet.
"Find out who entered this room."
That afternoon, Vincent returned to the estate.
Fay was carrying coffee through the hall when she heard him speaking on the phone in the conservatory.
"The girl found something."
A pause.
"No, Dominic doesn't know what it means yet."
Another pause.
"Then make sure she never gets the chance to explain it."
Fay stopped breathing.
She backed away from the door.
Her shoe brushed a fallen flowerpot.
The ceramic scraped against the floor.
Inside the conservatory, Vincent stopped talking.
"Who's there?"
Fay hurried down the corridor, her heart hammering.
She reached the kitchen just as Vincent entered.
He looked at her hands.
"What's that?"
"Coffee."
"For whom?"
"Mrs. Gable."
He took the tray from her and set it on the counter.
"You've been working here three days, Fay. Let me give you some advice. People who become curious about this family tend to leave very quickly."
She swallowed.
"Then it's a good thing I'm not curious."
Vincent smiled.
"Good."
He leaned closer.
"Because if you discover anything about my brother's accident, you should forget it immediately."
Fay felt cold despite the warmth of the kitchen.
Vincent walked away.
That evening, Dominic asked her to help him into bed.
It was the first time he had trusted her with anything so personal.
While she adjusted the blanket, he said, "You heard something today."
It wasn't a question.
Fay looked at him.
"I heard your brother making a phone call."
"What did he say?"
She hesitated.
Dominic's expression softened slightly.
"If you're afraid, tell Carmine. He'll get you somewhere safe."
Fay thought about her eviction notice, the empty refrigerator in her apartment, and the man who had threatened her.
Then she thought about the photograph.
"He said I should never discover anything about your accident."
Dominic went completely still.
For several seconds, the only sound in the room was the ticking clock.
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Finally, he whispered, "Then Vincent knows who tried to kill me."
And somewhere downstairs, a door slammed.
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