THE HEIRESS AND THE HIRED HELP

Ruth leaned over my shoulder, squinting at the writing on the back of the drawing.

“The old greenhouse,” she read aloud. “Why would they take her there? The glass is broken. It’s been abandoned for years.”

“Because no one ever goes there,” I said, my mind racing. “Vivienne must have realized the main gates were locked. She called an audible. They’re hiding Lily until the police search the grounds and leave.”

I looked down at the unconscious man on the gravel. I crouched beside him and rifled through his jacket pockets.

I found a cheap, prepaid burner phone.

I pressed the screen. It was unlocked. There was only one text conversation, saved under the initial V.

V: Gate is locked. Dante is calling the cops. Abort the car.Fixer: What about the kid?V: Take her to the old greenhouse. Tie her up if you have to. Do not let her scream.Fixer: This wasn’t part of the deal.V: I’m transferring another 50k now. Get it done.

“She’s paying him to torture a child,” Ruth whispered in horror.

“We have to show this to Dante,” I said, standing up and gripping the phone tightly.

“No.”

We both turned.

Vivienne was standing on the gravel pathway leading from the patio. She had kicked off her heels and was walking barefoot, a dark cloak thrown over her elegant gown. In the shadows, she looked exactly like the monster Lily had drawn.

Behind her stood Leo. He had a dark bruise forming on his jaw, and he was holding a heavy iron fireplace poker.

“Leo,” I pleaded. “She’s your niece. How can you do this to your own brother?”

Leo’s face twisted in bitterness. “Dante got everything. The company, the estate, the perfect wife. When Lily’s mother died, I thought Dante would finally break. But he just got stronger. Vivienne and I… we have an understanding. Once Lily is in a facility, Dante will unravel. He’ll sign the company over to me. And Vivienne gets the estate.”

“You’re disgusting,” Ruth said, stepping in front of me, raising the dented silver platter.

Vivienne laughed, a sharp, cold sound. “Oh, Ruth. You really should have kept both those hearing aids out. You’ve heard too much.”

Leo raised the iron poker and took a step toward us.

“Stop right there.”

The voice cut through the night like a whip.

From the shadows of the hedges, Dante emerged. His tuxedo jacket was gone, his sleeves rolled up. In his right hand, he held a sleek, black handgun.

He didn’t point it at the unconscious man. He aimed it directly at his brother’s chest.

“Dante,” Leo stammered, freezing in his tracks. “Put the gun down. You don’t understand.”

“I understand that I trusted you,” Dante said, his voice terrifyingly calm. “I understand that my daughter is missing.”

Vivienne immediately burst into tears. It was an Oscar-worthy performance. She ran toward Dante, throwing her arms around him.

“Oh, darling! Thank God you’re here!” she sobbed. “Leo and this waitress… they’re working together! I caught them trying to put Lily in this car. Leo threatened me!”

I stared at her in utter disbelief. She was pivoting instantly, throwing Leo under the bus to save herself.

Dante looked down at her. He lowered the gun slightly.

“Is this true, Vivienne?” he asked softly.

“Yes! She’s a monster!” Vivienne pointed a manicured finger at me. “Search her apron! She has ten thousand dollars in cash! They were going to sell Lily!”

Dante looked at me. “Emily. Empty your pockets.”

My heart plummeted. The envelope. If I pulled it out, it would look exactly like a payoff.

I reached into my apron. My fingers brushed the thick envelope of cash. But instead of pulling it out, my fingers closed around the cheap plastic of the burner phone.

I pulled the phone out and tossed it onto the gravel at Dante’s feet.

“Read the texts, Mr. Costa,” I said, keeping my head high. “Look at the contact name. Look at the timestamps.”

Dante kicked the phone toward Vivienne. “Pick it up and read it.”

Vivienne froze. Her fake tears vanished.

“Dante, please, it’s a forgery. She’s trying to frame me—”

“READ IT!” Dante roared, his composure finally breaking.

Vivienne slowly bent down and picked up the phone. The screen illuminated her pale face.

Dante didn’t even need to look at the screen. Her silence was a confession.

He shoved her away with disgust. He raised the gun back at Leo.

“Where is my daughter?” Dante demanded.

“I… I don’t know!” Leo panicked, dropping the iron poker. “The fixer was supposed to take her! I just ran interference!”

Dante looked at the unconscious man on the ground. Then he looked at me.

“Emily. Where is she?”

I held up the child’s drawing. “The back of this says the old greenhouse.”

Dante’s face went completely white.

“No,” he whispered. “No, no, no.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“The greenhouse isn’t just abandoned,” Dante said, his voice shaking with sudden, absolute terror. “It’s where we store the estate’s industrial chemicals. The door locks from the outside. And ten minutes ago, before I came out here…”

He looked at Vivienne.

“She told the groundskeeper to burn the brush piles behind the greenhouse tonight.”

Across the estate, over the line of tall oak trees, a thick plume of black smoke began to rise into the night sky.

An orange glow flickered in the darkness.