Chapter 33 - Whispers in the Nursery
I waited until Lily had finished her supper and Nora had tucked her into bed before I demanded answers.
The grandfather clock struck nine when Nora walked into the library, shutting the double doors behind her. She looked exhausted, the shadows beneath her eyes darker than usual. She crossed the room and sat in the leather armchair across from my desk.
"You knew," I said, setting the silver Zippo on the blotter between us. "You knew he didn't die in that harbor explosion four years ago."
Nora closed her eyes, letting out a long, shuddering sigh. "I didn't know for certain, Marcus. I swear on my daughter’s life, I didn't know."
"Then explain how a three-year-old child knows about the raven and the key."
"Because Julian came to me once," Nora whispered, looking up at me with tears glistening on her lashes. "Two years ago. Late at night, in the middle of a blizzard. Lily was just an infant. He was bleeding, Marcus. Half his face was covered in burns, and he wouldn't tell me who had done it. He made me swear on everything sacred that I would never tell you, that Vance’s men were watching every breath you took."
I leaned forward, my knuckles digging into the mahogany desk. "He was alive. He came to you, and you let me mourn him for four years? You let me spend millions dragging the bay for his bones?"
"He said they would kill you if you knew!" Nora’s voice rose, a sharp plea cutting through the quiet library. "He said Richard Vance had judges, senators, and cartel muscle in his pocket. Julian said the only way you would survive was if you genuinely believed he was dead, because you can't fake grief under Richard's surveillance!"
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She buried her face in her hands.
"He gave me the first lighter that night," she wept softly. "He told me to keep Lily safe, and if things ever got desperate, to bring her to you. And that one day... the raven would finish the work."
