Chapter 6 - the trial of blood
"You knew?" Clara whispered, her voice shaking as she backed away from the desk. "You knew who I was before you walked into Il Destino tonight?"
Rico stood up slowly, setting his glass on the mantlepiece. He walked toward her, his heavy steps measured and menacing. He wore no suit coat now, only his white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing dark, intricate tattoos creeping up his forearms.
"I didn't know you worked at the restaurant," Rico said, his voice low and dangerous. "I knew Elena had a sister somewhere in Brooklyn. My investigators spent three months searching for you after Elena’s death."
"Why?" Clara demanded, her eyes flashing with sudden anger. "Why search for me? My mother and I lived in near-poverty while your wife's family lived in mansions! We never asked for a dime of Vance money!"
"Because Elena left thirty percent of her private estate to you in her secret will," Rico revealed flatly, stopping just two feet away from her. "A will that was hidden by her family lawyers until three weeks ago."
Clara stared at him, breathless. "Thirty percent?"
"A fortune worth nearly forty million dollars," Rico continued, his dark eyes searching her face for any sign of deception. "Which gives you a very powerful motive to make sure my wife died."
Clara’s breath caught in her throat. She felt as though the air had been sucked out of the room. "You think... you think I had something to do with Elena's death?"
"Elena died in a fiery car crash on the Long Island Expressway," Rico whispered, leaning down so his icy breath touched her cheek. "Her brake lines were severed. It wasn't an accident, Clara. It was murder."
Clara stared at him, horror washing over her. "I didn't even know she existed until five minutes ago! I was working twelve-hour double shifts at the diner the night she died! You can check the restaurant shift logs!"
"I already did," Rico replied coldly. "Your alibi is rock solid. That is the only reason you are standing in this room instead of being questioned in a basement."
Clara swallowed hard, her pulse hammering in her ears. "Then why bring me here? Why hire me for Leo?"
"Because Leo hasn't spoken a word since he watched his mother's car burn," Rico said, a crack finally appearing in his cold facade, revealing a glimpse of raw, unhealed grief. "And tonight, you made him drink milk and speak his mother's name. You are the key to bringing my son back."
May you like
Before Clara could digest his words, the quiet of the night was shattered by a piercing scream from the second floor.
It was Leo.
