Chapter 3 - THE HOUSE WHERE NOBODY WAS ALLOWED TO ASK QUESTIONS
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The Salvatore estate stood on a hillside outside Rome, surrounded by ancient stone walls, cypress trees, and security cameras hidden among the gardens.
Clare had never seen a house like it.
It was beautiful in a way that made her uncomfortable.
Marble floors reflected enormous chandeliers. Paintings covered the walls. Every hallway seemed to lead to another hallway, and every person who worked there lowered their eyes when Dante walked past.
Maya, however, was fascinated.
"Mommy, is this a castle?"
"Something like that."
"Do they have princesses?"
Clare glanced at Dante.
"Apparently, they have everything."
Dante heard her.
"Not everything."
He led them to a guest suite overlooking the gardens.
It contained two bedrooms, a private bathroom, and a small sitting room. Fresh clothes had been arranged for both Clare and Maya.
Clare immediately noticed the locks.
There were electronic locks on the windows and an additional security panel near the entrance.
"Are we prisoners?"
Dante turned.
"No."
"Then why does the room have more security than a bank?"
"Because someone has been watching my son."
"That doesn't mean you get to lock me in."
He stared at her for a moment.
Then he removed the security panel's interior restriction.
"You can leave whenever you choose. But if you do, tell Marco where you're going. Not because I own your movements. Because I don't want you disappearing without protection."
Clare didn't thank him.
She simply closed the door.
That evening, a housekeeper named Rosa brought dinner.
She was an older woman with silver hair and kind eyes. When she saw Maya, her expression softened.
"How beautiful. What's your name, little one?"
"Maya."
"And who's this?"
"Leo's daddy."
Rosa looked toward the hallway.
Her smile disappeared.
"Mr. Salvatore has not allowed children to play in this house since his wife died."
Clare looked up.
"Why?"
Rosa hesitated.
"Because everything reminds him of her."
Later, Clare heard a baby crying.
She stepped into the hallway and found Dante standing outside the nursery.
Leo was in his crib.
A nurse stood nearby, checking his temperature.
"What's wrong?" Clare asked.
"Nothing," Dante replied.
But Leo was crying again.
Clare approached.
"Has he eaten?"
"Twenty minutes ago."
"Is he uncomfortable?"
"The doctor says he's fine."
She looked at the infant.
His hands were moving rapidly, and his face was flushed.
Then she noticed something.
A small electronic device sat on the shelf beside the crib.
"What is that?"
Dante followed her gaze.
"A monitoring system."
Clare picked it up.
It was connected to a small receiver with several blinking lights.
"Who installed this?"
"The medical team."
Clare turned it over.
A manufacturer's label was visible.
She read the model number twice.
"Mr. Salvatore, this is a sound-monitoring device."
"Yes."
"Does Leo's hearing condition have anything to do with why you installed it?"
Dante frowned.
"What hearing condition?"
Clare looked at him.
The nurse stopped moving.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
"Your son is deaf," Dante said finally. "He has been since birth."
Clare's expression changed.
"Has that been confirmed?"
"Three specialists confirmed it."
"Did they perform a full diagnostic assessment?"
"Of course."
"Auditory brainstem response?"
Dante didn't answer immediately.
The nurse looked uncomfortable.
Clare placed the device back on the shelf.
"I think you need to ask for the medical records."
Dante's eyes narrowed.
"Are you suggesting the doctors are lying?"
"I'm suggesting that a diagnosis deserves to be reviewed if something doesn't make sense."
He stepped closer.
"Do you understand what you're saying?"
"Yes. And I'm not diagnosing your child. I'm telling you that something here deserves another look."
Before Dante could respond, Leo suddenly stopped crying.
His eyes were fixed on the doorway.
Maya had appeared behind Clare.
She was holding her stuffed rabbit.
"Baby Leo," she whispered.
The infant moved his head.
Maya smiled.
"Hi."
Leo blinked.
Then his eyes shifted toward the small rabbit.
Clare noticed that his attention followed the movement.
She crouched beside the crib.
"Can you see me, sweetheart?"
Leo looked directly at her.
She gently moved her fingers from left to right.
His eyes followed.
Dante watched.
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing conclusive. He can visually track movement. That's encouraging, but it doesn't tell us anything definitive about his hearing."
She paused.
"Have you ever noticed him responding to sudden noises?"
Dante shook his head.
"Never."
Clare glanced at the device again.
Then she noticed something even more troubling.
The monitoring system had a small red indicator.
It wasn't simply recording sound.
It was transmitting.
She leaned closer.
"Who else has access to this system?"
The nurse went pale.
"I don't know."
Dante turned toward her.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"I was told it was part of the medical equipment."
Marco entered the room.
"Sir, the security team has a problem."
Dante didn't look away from the nurse.
"Speak."
"We traced the photograph from the airplane. It was taken by someone traveling under an employee's identification."
"Who?"
Marco hesitated.
"Dr. Adrian Bellini."
Dante's face went cold.
Adrian had been Leo's lead specialist since birth.
He was also the man who had signed every medical report declaring the child profoundly deaf.
Clare looked from Dante to the nurse.
"Mr. Salvatore..."
Dante turned.
"Yes?"
"Before you accuse anyone, I want to see every test result."
He studied her for several seconds.
Then he gave Marco an order.
"Bring me Bellini."
But Marco's phone rang before he could move.
He answered, listened, and slowly lowered it.
"Sir..."
"What?"
"Dr. Bellini has been found."
"Where?"
"At the airport."
Dante's eyes narrowed.
"Alive?"
Marco shook his head.
"Dead. And someone left a message beside his body."
"What message?"
Marco looked at Clare.
May you like
Then he answered.
"Ask the mother what she heard before the explosion."
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