Chapter 5 - The Second Bottle
Sarah's guest suite was empty.
Adrian entered first.
“Lily!”
No answer.
The bed was untouched.
Sarah's purse remained on the chair.
Gabriel checked the bathroom.
“Empty.”
Adrian's voice sharpened.
“Find them.”
The estate went into immediate lockdown.
Gates closed.
Security searched every room.
Adrian returned downstairs.
Dominic was still seated in the secure office.
“Where are they?”
Dominic looked confused.
“Who?”
“Sarah and Lily.”
Dominic laughed.
“You think I took them?”
“You implied something happened.”
“I said you should wonder why the child was awake.”
Adrian stared at him.
“What does that mean?”
Dominic leaned back.
“Ask Mrs. Ricci.”
Adrian turned.
Teresa was found ten minutes later in the laundry room with Sarah and Lily.
Sarah looked terrified.
Adrian stopped.
“What happened?”
Teresa answered.
“I moved them.”
“Without telling me?”
“I saw one of Dominic's security men outside the guest suite.”
Gabriel frowned.
“Who?”
“Calvin Pierce.”
Gabriel immediately spoke into his radio.
“Find Pierce.”
Adrian crouched beside Lily.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded.
“Mama said we're playing hide-and-seek.”
Sarah looked embarrassed.
“I didn't want to scare her.”
“You did exactly right.”
Lily held up her rabbit.
“He found another bad bottle.”
Adrian froze.
“Who?”
She pointed toward her toy.
“Rabbit.”
Sarah shook her head.
“She means she found something behind the sofa.”
Lily reached into the rabbit's torn back seam.
Sarah gasped.
“Lily!”
The little girl pulled out a tiny glass bottle.
Adrian didn't touch it.
Gabriel stared.
“How did that get inside her toy?”
Sarah covered her mouth.
“I don't know.”
Lily looked confused.
“Uncle Dominic fixed Rabbit yesterday.”
Adrian slowly stood.
Dominic had handled the toy.
Gabriel immediately understood.
“He hid evidence.”
Adrian looked toward the security office.
“Or wanted someone else caught with it.”
The answer came fifteen minutes later.
Calvin Pierce tried to leave through the service gate.
Security stopped him.
Inside his vehicle they found cash, forged travel documents, and another bottle.
Under questioning, Pierce admitted Dominic had ordered him to retrieve Lily's rabbit.
The plan had been simple.
If investigators discovered anything, the substance would be connected to Sarah.
A desperate employee.
A troubled housekeeper.
Someone easy to blame.
When Adrian confronted Dominic again, his brother finally had nothing left.
“You were going to blame Sarah?”
Dominic stared at the floor.
“You needed a suspect.”
“You put evidence inside a child's toy.”
“I never intended to hurt Lily.”
Adrian's expression hardened.
“You used her.”
Dominic looked up.
“Don't pretend you're different.”
“I am.”
“You built your life on fear.”
“And you built yours on betrayal.”
Dominic stood.
“You think that child saved you?”
“She did.”
“She told you about a bottle.”
“No.”
Adrian shook his head.
“She reminded me what it felt like to trust someone.”
Dominic laughed.
“A three-year-old?”
“Yes.”
That answer seemed to anger Dominic more than anything else.
“You choose them over me?”
Adrian stared at his younger brother.
“There shouldn't have been a choice.”
He opened the door.
Two investigators waited outside.
Dominic's expression changed.
“You called the police?”
“I called people who deal with crimes.”
“You're Adrian Moretti.”
“I know exactly who I am.”
Dominic looked almost frightened now.
“You can't do this.”
“I can.”
“We're brothers.”
Adrian paused.
“For three years, I kept asking myself why my own mind was betraying me.”
He looked directly at Dominic.
“It wasn't.”
Dominic was escorted away.
For the first time in years, Adrian felt something unfamiliar.
Not power.
Not victory.
Relief.
Then a tiny voice came from behind him.
“Mr. Moretti?”
Adrian turned.
Lily stood beside Sarah.
“Is the bad tea gone?”
Adrian crouched.
“Yes.”
“All gone?”
He looked toward the doors through which his brother had disappeared.
“All gone.”
Lily smiled.
“Good.”
Then she held up her rabbit.
“Rabbit needs surgery.”
Adrian stared at the torn seam.
After everything that had happened, a laugh escaped him.
A real one.
Sarah stared.
Gabriel stared.
Even Teresa stared.
Lily frowned.
“What?”
Adrian shook his head.
“Nothing.”
He picked her up.
May you like
“Let's save Rabbit.”
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