Chapter 8 - THE EMPTY APARTMENT
Ruiz sent officers to Maria’s building.
They arrived before the fire spread beyond the living room.
Nobody was inside.
The apartment still filled with smoke.
By the time Maria saw the photographs, her couch was black, Emma’s bed was soaked, and the kitchen ceiling had collapsed.
Their home.
The little place Maria had paid to keep, month after month, with money she didn’t owe.
She sat perfectly still.
Emma stood beside her, studying her mother’s face.
“Did Lucy’s other dress burn?”
Maria pulled her close.
Vincent stepped into the hallway because he couldn’t bear the sound Maria made when she finally started crying.
Celia was waiting near the stairs.
“Now do you understand?”
He stopped.
“What?”
“This isn’t something you can fix by making one phone call.”
“You knew he would do this?”
“No.”
“Which part didn’t you know?”
She wiped beneath one eye.
For the first time that day, she looked younger than the woman he thought he knew.
“My father’s business is gone,” she said. “Adrian covered the debts. Then he started asking for things.”
“Your engagement to me?”
“No.”
He waited.
“Not at first.”
The answer landed harder than he expected.
Celia looked toward the room where Maria sat.
“He said you’d sleep for a few hours. That was all. He needed access to the study before you reviewed the housing accounts.”
“You put something in my food.”
“I thought you’d be okay.”
“You didn’t know.”
She said nothing.
“What was going to happen to Maria?”
“He said she’d leave with money.”
Vincent stared at her.
“You helped put a bottle in her pocket.”
Celia’s face crumpled.
“He said it would stop her from accusing us.”
“Us.”
She reached for him.
He stepped back.
Ruiz appeared at the end of the hall.
“Ms. Voss. We need to speak.”
Celia looked from the detective to Vincent.
“Adrian kept copies of everything. Every message. Every time I helped.”
“Then tell her where.”
Celia’s mouth opened.
Before she could answer, Adrian came out of the sitting room with his attorney.
He had heard enough.
“Careful, Celia.”
His voice was calm.
She went white again.
Vincent recognized it now.
Not love gone wrong.
Training.
Adrian looked at his brother.
“Ask Nora what happens when they prove you signed those transfers.”
Nora answered from behind Vincent.
“He faces it.”
May you like
Adrian smiled.
“We’ll see.”
