Chapter 4 - THE PEARL BRACELET
Adrian hit the button on his intercom. “Let them in. Bring them straight to the study.”
I stood up, my hands trembling. “Mr. Falcone, I should get back to the kitchen—”
“You sit down, Maggie,” Adrian said, not looking away from the door. “You’re the only one who doesn’t have a stake in this lies. I need a witness.”
Minutes later, the study doors opened. A woman in her late sixties stepped in. She looked exhausted, her raincoat dripping onto the Persian rug. Holding her hand was a little boy, maybe six years old. He had dark, messy hair and Adrian’s exact nose.
“I’m Eleanor,” the woman said, clutching her purse. “Vivienne’s mother.”
She looked at Tom and froze. “Charles?”
Answer One: Tom hadn’t just played Vivienne’s father. He had played this woman’s husband. Open Two: Why would Vivienne’s mother think Tom was Charles if Tom was just an actor? And why was she bringing the child here now?
Tom stood up slowly. “Eleanor. It’s been a long time.”
“I don’t understand,” Eleanor said, pulling the boy closer. “Vivienne told me you died in a car crash three years ago.”
A reversal. Tom wasn’t a stranger hired a week ago. He had been embedded in Vivienne’s life years ago.
Adrian slammed his fist on the desk. “Enough! Who is the boy?”
The little boy flinched. I instinctively knelt down, pulling a wrapped mint from my apron pocket. “Hey there,” I whispered. “What’s your name?”
“Leo,” he said softly, taking the mint.
“Is he my brother’s son?” Adrian demanded, looking at Eleanor.
Eleanor burst into tears. “Yes. But Vivienne didn’t want you to know. She said the Falcone family was too dangerous. She paid me to raise him in secret while she tried to secure a place in your inner circle.”
“To steal from me?” Adrian asked, holding up the lighter.
“To survive!” Eleanor cried. “She knew you were looking for the missing money! She had to get close enough to frame someone else before you found out!”
I looked at the little boy’s wrist as he unwrapped the candy. He was wearing a delicate pearl bracelet. It was too small for an adult, but the pearls were real, lustrous and expensive.
“That’s a beautiful bracelet,” I said softly.
Leo looked up at me. “Mommy gave it to me. She said it belonged to my daddy’s real killer.”
Adrian froze. He walked over and gently took Leo’s small hand.
May you like
I knew that bracelet. I had seen it every day for the last two years.
It belonged to Marcus.
