Chapter 5 - THE GLASS OF PORCELAIN
The sun rose over Lake Michigan,
but it brought no warmth to the mansion.
Vanessa returned to the room at 8:00 a.m.,
wearing a crisp white suit that screamed of victory.
She looked refreshed,
as if the night of betrayal had been a spa treatment.
"How are we feeling this morning,
Dante?"
she asked,
checking the IV bag.
"Like a man who’s seen the bottom of the lake,"
I replied,
my voice steady.
Dr. Harris entered behind her,
his face a mask of professional neutrality.
He carried a folder,
clutching it to his chest like a shield.
"The results?"
I asked.
Dr. Harris looked at Vanessa,
then at me.
"The tea was...
clean,"
he said.
I felt the air go cold again.
"Clean?"
"Yes,"
Harris continued.
"There were no traces of cyanide or bitter almonds."
Vanessa smiled,
a slow,
triumphant spread of her lips.
"I told you,
darling."
"You're just hallucinating."
"The fever is playing tricks on your mind."
She turned to Elena,
who was standing by the window.
"You see?"
"Your daughter’s imagination has caused quite a stir."
"I think it’s time for both of you to leave."
"I’ve already called a car."
Elena looked at me,
her eyes pleading.
I felt a surge of doubt.
Was I crazy?
Was the cold just a natural illness?
But then,
I saw it.
A small,
almost invisible movement from Dr. Harris.
He was tapping his finger against the folder in a rhythmic pattern.
Three short taps.
Three long taps.
Three short taps.
S.O.S.
He was being watched.
He was being threatened.
I looked at the fireplace,
where one of Vanessa’s bodyguards was standing.
He wasn't part of my usual detail.
He was one of her men.
The house had already been taken.
I looked at Vanessa,
who was leaning over the bed to kiss my cheek.
She smelled like jasmine and copper.
"Don't worry,"
she whispered in my ear.
"It will be over soon."
I realized then that it wasn't the tea.
It was the IV.
The clear liquid dripping into my arm wasn't medicine.
It was the source of the ice.
And Dr. Harris was being forced to play along.
"Elena,"
I said,
my voice a low growl.
"Take Lily and go to the car."
"Now."
Vanessa straightened up.
"Good choice,
Dante."
"It's for the best."
Elena grabbed Lily,
who was watching Vanessa with narrowed eyes.
As they walked past the bed,
Lily dropped something onto the blanket.
A small,
brass key.
I recognized it.
It was the key to the private safe in the library.
The safe where I kept the hard drives.
The girl had been busy.
"Wait,"
I said,
pointing to the IV bag.
"I want a new bag."
"This one is cloudy."
Vanessa’s smile faltered.
"It's just the light,
Dante."
"No,"
I insisted,
reaching for the tube.
"Change it."
The bodyguard moved forward,
his hand going to his jacket.
"Mr. Moretti,"
he said,
his voice a warning.
"Let the doctors do their job."
I looked at the man.
"This is my house,"
I said.
"And I gave an order."
The tension in the room was a physical weight.
And then,
May you like
from the hallway,
the sound of a flashbang detonating.
