Chapter 5 - Poison in the Vineyard
The rain poured in heavy sheets over the mountain highway as Victor’s armored black sedan cut through the dark night toward downtown Manhattan.
Beside him in the passenger seat sat Arthur Vance, clutching the sealed red-wax envelope against his knees, trembling every time lightning illuminated the sky.
"Victor... if we crash the Council meeting without official proof that Julian is dead, they will execute us both for treason!" Arthur cried out over the roar of the engine.
"Julian is dead, Arthur," Victor said, his eyes fixed on the highway ahead, his hands holding the leather steering wheel with iron strength. "The man in the mask is a proxy paid by Celeste."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I held my brother in my arms the night the harbor warehouse burned," Victor said, his voice dropping into a low, painful whisper. "I felt his heart stop. Celeste thinks she can use his ghost to scare my lieutenants, but she forgot one thing."
Victor reached into his jacket, pulling out the silver pocket watch Ellie had found under the floorboards. He popped the back casing open, exposing the mechanical movement.
"This watch wasn't made ten years ago," Victor said, pointing to a tiny serial number stamped on the gold balance wheel. "It was manufactured six months ago in Zurich. Celeste had it custom-made to fool my daughter."
Meanwhile, forty miles north at the Bellacosta private vineyard fortress, Marcus and his team arrived with Ellie. The fortress was an impenetrable stone stronghold built on a high ridge overlooking the Hudson River.
Marcus ushered Ellie into the warm, firelit living room of the main lodge, locking the heavy iron doors behind them.
"You're safe here, Miss Ellie," Marcus said, kneeling down beside her. "I'm going to bring you some warm tea."
In the kitchen, Marcus prepared a tray with a cup of chamomile tea and fresh biscuits. As he reached for the honey jar, a female servant in a quiet maid uniform stepped up beside him, offering to take the tray.
"I'll bring it to her, Marcus," the maid said softly, offering a polite bow.
Marcus hesitated, then nodded, stepping back into the hallway to check the perimeter monitors.
The maid carried the tray into the living room, setting it on the table before Ellie. "Here you go, sweetie. Drink up."
Ellie looked at the pale lavender tea in the cup. She lifted the saucer, taking a small sip.
Suddenly, Ellie paused. She set the cup down, her small eyebrows knitting together. "This tastes bitter... like the medicine Aunt Celeste tried to give me last week."
Outside the doorway, Marcus heard her words. He lunged into the room, snatching the cup away and smelling the steam.
His eyes widened in shock. "Cyanide derivative!"
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Marcus spun around, pulling his sidearm to arrest the maid, but the woman was already lying motionless on the kitchen floor—a tiny glass vial broken between her lips, her hand holding a black signet ring pressed firmly into her palm.
The ring bore the crest of the Falcone syndicate—Victor's deadliest rival family.
