Chapter 7 - The Woman in Blue
Anthony entered alone.
Carlo searched him.
No weapon.
No phone.
No recorder.
Then my cousin walked toward the bed and looked into my open eyes.
He began crying.
I felt nothing.
“Dominic…”
“Sit.”
He obeyed.
Grace remained near the window.
Michael stayed beside the door.
Carlo stood behind Anthony.
“Who told you?” I asked.
Anthony wiped his face.
“No one.”
“Then how?”
“Your heart monitor.”
I frowned.
“That night. When I went near the bathroom. The monitor went crazy. Then Rosen came in too fast.”
Michael looked irritated with himself.
Anthony continued.
“I kept thinking about it. Then Grace was at the penthouse this morning.”
He looked toward her.
“She's everywhere.”
Grace gave him a cold smile.
Anthony faced me again.
“I hoped I was wrong.”
“Disappointed?”
“No.”
“Then explain Nico.”
His face collapsed.
“I didn't know.”
“You gave Pike access.”
“I gave Sam my garage code.”
“Why?”
“He said he wanted someone to put a tracker on your car.”
Carlo swore.
Anthony raised his hands.
“I know how it sounds.”
“It sounds exactly like what happened.”
“He said Keller wanted to know where Dominic was going because of Bellhaven meetings.”
“You helped them spy on me.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Anthony looked down.
“Because I owed money.”
“Eleven million.”
His head snapped up.
Carlo had not told him we knew.
Anthony laughed once.
Bitterly.
“Of course you know.”
“Did you know they would cut the brakes?”
“No.”
“Did you know they might hurt me?”
Anthony didn't answer quickly enough.
“Anthony.”
“I thought they'd scare you.”
“How?”
“Force the car off the road somewhere. Damage it. Make you believe someone was targeting you so you'd increase security and cancel meetings.”
“Why would that help Sam?”
“He said Keller needed time.”
I stared at him.
“You believed that?”
“I needed to.”
There was the truth.
Not innocence.
Need.
Anthony had accepted a lie because believing it allowed him to do what he wanted.
“You called Nico.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I started getting nervous.”
“Why not call me?”
“Because then you'd ask why.”
“So you warned my driver without explaining.”
“I thought changing routes would be enough.”
My anger finally surfaced.
“Nico is dead because ‘enough’ was easier than telling me the truth.”
Anthony flinched.
Good.
He deserved to.
Grace stepped forward.
“What about the documents?”
Anthony looked at her.
“The forged medical directive.”
He glanced toward me.
“I knew about the trust papers. Not that.”
“Don't lie.”
“I'm not.”
“Last night you brought a notary.”
“He was certifying signatures on corporate documents.”
“Forged signatures.”
“Yes.”
The shame in his voice was real.
But shame does not undo choices.
“Why come here tonight?” I asked.
Anthony leaned closer.
“Because Veronica plans to move sooner.”
My pulse sharpened.
“When?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Friday?”
“Thursday night.”
“Why?”
“They're afraid Keller is losing control of somebody.”
“Who?”
“I don't know.”
Anthony looked at Grace.
“And they're afraid of her.”
Grace froze.
“Why me?”
“Veronica thinks you took something from the penthouse.”
Grace's expression revealed nothing.
Anthony continued.
“She found the missing key.”
“Then why are you warning us?”
He looked back at me.
“Because Sam is going to kill Veronica too.”
The room went silent.
I had expected betrayal.
Not that.
“What?”
Anthony swallowed.
“I heard him talking to Keller.”
“When?”
“Three hours ago.”
“What exactly?”
“Sam said Veronica becomes a liability after the transfer.”
Grace whispered, “Does she know?”
“No.”
“And you?”
Anthony laughed bitterly.
“I was always a liability.”
The conspiracy was consuming its own members.
That made it more dangerous, not less.
Desperate people stop planning elegantly.
They improvise.
“Where's Veronica?” I asked.
“At the penthouse.”
Grace's eyes widened.
“Alone?”
“Sam is supposed to meet her there.”
I looked at Carlo.
“Send people.”
Anthony shook his head.
“You can't.”
“Why?”
“Keller has police contacts watching the building.”
Carlo muttered something unpleasant.
I thought quickly.
Veronica had tried to murder me.
She had forged my signature.
She had threatened Grace.
She planned to profit from my death.
I owed her nothing.
Yet if Sam killed her, we would lose a witness.
More importantly, Sam would erase the person most likely to connect him directly to Keller.
“We need her alive,” I said.
Grace looked at me.
“For evidence?”
“Yes.”
“Only evidence?”
I knew what she was asking.
Would I save Veronica because it was useful, or because leaving her to die would make me no better than the people hunting me?
I didn't answer.
Maybe I didn't know yet.
Anthony stood.
“I can get into the penthouse.”
“So can Grace.”
Grace shook her head.
“I'm not going back.”
“Good,” I said immediately.
She looked surprised.
“You've done enough.”
Anthony stared at her.
Then at me.
Something passed across his face.
Recognition.
Not romance.
Not yet.
Simply understanding that I trusted Grace more after five days than I trusted my own blood after forty years.
He deserved that too.
“I'll go,” Anthony said.
“No.”
“Dominic—”
“You've been useful enough.”
His eyes filled with pain.
“Give me a chance to fix something.”
“You can't fix Nico.”
“I know.”
For several seconds, we stared at each other.
Then I made the decision.
“Carlo goes with you.”
Carlo frowned.
“Boss—”
“You stay outside. Anthony enters alone.”
Anthony nodded.
Before leaving, he stopped beside the bed.
“I never wanted you dead.”
I looked at him.
“You wanted everything around my life while pretending my life wasn't the price.”
He had no response.
Anthony walked away.
Twenty-eight minutes later, Carlo called.
“Something's wrong.”
“What?”
“Penthouse door is open.”
“Where's Anthony?”
“Inside.”
Then a crash sounded through the phone.
Carlo ran.
We heard shouting.
Veronica screamed.
A man cursed.
Then a gunshot.
Grace grabbed my arm.
“Carlo?”
No answer.
Another crash.
Finally Carlo returned to the line.
“We're okay.”
“Veronica?”
“Alive.”
“Anthony?”
A pause.
“Hit in the shoulder. Not a gunshot. Glass.”
“And Sam?”
“Gone.”
“What happened?”
Carlo breathed hard.
“Someone was waiting for Veronica.”
“Who?”
“Pike.”
Raymond Pike.
The mechanic.
The man who sabotaged the Bentley.
“Did you get him?”
“No.”
“Did Veronica see him?”
“Yes.”
Then another voice came through Carlo's phone.
Veronica.
Furious.
Terrified.
“Dominic?”
My blood chilled.
Carlo must have told her.
She laughed shakily.
“You son of a bitch.”
“Hello, Veronica.”
“You're awake.”
“Yes.”
Silence.
Then she began crying.
Not the beautiful camera-ready tears.
Ugly, frightened sobbing.
“They're going to kill me.”
I looked at Grace.
“I know.”
“Help me.”
Five days earlier, I would have crossed Manhattan barefoot through broken glass for Veronica Hale.
Now I felt as if I were speaking to a stranger.
“What do you know about Keller?” I asked.
“Everything.”
“Then you'll tell me everything.”
“Get me somewhere safe first.”
I almost laughed.
“You whispered in my ear that you wanted me dead.”
“I was scared.”
“You forged documents.”
“Sam made me.”
“You threatened Grace's mother.”
Veronica went silent.
Grace's face changed.
That was confirmation.
I continued.
“If you want my help, stop lying.”
Veronica breathed into the phone.
Then said the first honest thing I had heard from her in years.
“I wanted your money.”
The room became still.
She continued.
“But I never ordered the crash.”
“Who did?”
“Keller.”
“Sam?”
“He arranged it.”
“Anthony?”
“Wasn't supposed to know.”
I closed my eyes.
Nico had been right.
Then Veronica whispered:
“And Dominic…”
“What?”
“Keller isn't doing this just for Bellhaven.”
I opened my eyes.
“What else?”
“There is something underneath one of the properties.”
“What?”
“I don't know exactly.”
“Don't lie.”
“I swear.”
Her voice trembled.
“Whatever it is, Keller said if you ever discovered it, the money would be the least of his problems.”
I looked at Carlo's number glowing on Michael's phone.
“What property?”
Veronica answered.
“Pier 17B.”
I knew it.
An abandoned warehouse included in the Bellhaven acquisition.
Scheduled for demolition Friday morning.
“What is under it?”
Veronica began to answer.
Then the line cut off.
“Veronica?”
Nothing.
“Carlo?”
Static.
Then one final sound came through.
May you like
A fire alarm.
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