Chapter 5 - THE CONFESSION
“Tommy!” I screamed, my voice tearing through the cavernous foyer. Thomas looked up at me, his face bruised, his lip bleeding. “Emily! Stay back!” “Emily, stay where you are,” Luca ordered, not taking his eyes off Marcus. Luca’s voice was dangerously calm, the terrifying control of a man who had realized everything he believed was a lie. Marcus chuckled darkly. “Ah, the whole family is here now. Even the traitor’s sister.” “Let him go, Marcus,” Luca said. “You’ve lost. The guests heard enough before they ran. The police are already on their way.” “The police?” Marcus scoffed. “You think I care about the police, Luca? I own half the precinct. They’re not coming for me. They’re coming to clean up a home invasion gone wrong.” From the hallway behind us, Vanessa limped out, clutching her bruised knee. When she saw the standoff downstairs, she froze, her eyes widening at the sight of Thomas on the floor. “You brought him here?” Vanessa gasped, looking at Marcus. “Insurance,” Marcus replied coldly. He glanced up at me. “Throw the envelope down, Emily. Or I put a bullet in your brother’s head right now.” My hands trembled as I gripped the blue envelope. “Don’t do it, Emily!” Thomas yelled from the floor. “He’s going to kill us anyway! He brought me here to tie up loose ends!” “Shut up, kid,” Marcus snapped, pressing his boot onto Thomas’s shoulder. He aimed his gun slightly downward. “Three seconds, Emily.” “Wait!” I cried, holding the envelope over the banister. “I’ll drop it! Just don’t hurt him!” “Emily, no!” Eleanor pleaded, gripping my arm. “It’s the only justice my daughter has!” “One,” Marcus counted. I looked at Luca. He was staring at me, his dark eyes intense, trying to communicate something silently. He gave a microscopic shake of his head. Don’t drop it. “Two,” Marcus said, cocking the hammer of his gun. “Here!” I yelled, and I let go. But I didn’t drop the envelope. I threw the heavy stack of 8x10 photographs into the air. Dozens of glossy pictures fluttered down like snow, scattering across the massive crystal chandelier and raining down onto the marble floor. Marcus’s eyes instinctively followed the falling photos. It was a fatal, one-second distraction. Luca moved with terrifying speed. He didn’t shoot—he lunged forward, closing the ten feet between them, and slammed the heavy barrel of his gun directly into Marcus’s wrist. The bone snapped with a sickening crack. Marcus roared in pain, dropping his weapon. Luca followed through with a brutal blow to Marcus’s jaw, sending the larger man crashing into a marble pillar. Marcus slumped to the floor, dazed and bleeding. Luca kicked Marcus’s gun across the room, then placed his boot firmly on Marcus’s chest, aiming his weapon down at his former best friend. I flew down the stairs, falling to my knees beside Thomas. I desperately yanked at the zip-ties on his wrists. “Are you okay? Tommy, what did you do?” I sobbed, hugging him tightly. “I’m sorry, Em,” Thomas cried, burying his face in my shoulder. “I was so stupid. They promised me so much money. I just wanted to help you so you wouldn’t have to clean houses anymore.” I squeezed my eyes shut, holding him. Luca knelt and picked up one of the scattered photographs. He stared at the image of Marcus and Thomas, his expression unreadable. He looked up at Vanessa, who was still cowering at the top of the stairs. “Come down here, Vanessa,” Luca said quietly. She descended slowly, trembling with every step. When she reached the bottom, she fell to her knees. “Luca, please,” she begged, tears ruining her face. “I love you. I only did it because I was terrified of him. Marcus made me do it!” Marcus spit blood onto the marble floor and laughed harshly. “She’s lying, Luca. She didn’t help me because she was scared. She helped me because she was the one who pushed Catherine.” The room went dead silent. Vanessa’s eyes bulged. “No! You liar!” “Think about it, Luca,” Marcus wheezed, smiling a bloody smile. “Catherine was at the top of the stairs with the envelope. She was screaming for you. I tried to grab her arm to pull her back. But Vanessa came up behind her... and shoved her.” Luca looked at Grace, who was standing on the bottom step holding Eleanor’s hand. “Grace,” Luca said gently. “Who pushed Mommy?” Grace looked at Marcus, then at Vanessa. She was crying now, the trauma of that night overwhelming her. “I... I don’t know,” Grace sobbed. “It was dark. They were both grabbing her.” Vanessa let out a breath of relief. “See? It was an accident! We were just trying to calm her down!” But as she spoke, Eleanor walked slowly down the final steps. The old woman ignored Vanessa and walked directly to the spot where her daughter had died. She bent down and picked up something that had fallen from the blue envelope. It wasn’t a photo. It was a small, silver flash drive. “Catherine was a smart girl,” Eleanor said softly, staring at the small device. “She didn’t just take pictures. She wore a wire to a meeting with Thomas.” Vanessa’s face turned the color of ash. Eleanor held the drive out to Luca. “Play it, Luca. Let’s hear exactly whose voice is on here.”
