A 3-Year-Old Slapped the Birthday Cake Out of His Hands—Seconds Later, the Mafia Boss Learned Someone Had Tried to Kill His Son

Vincent slowly raised both hands.

"I can explain."

Detective Quinn's officers drew first. My men looked at me before touching their weapons.

That was the problem with loyalty. In a clean world, it was a virtue. In mine, it could become a loaded gun waiting for the wrong order.

"Nobody moves," I said.

Vincent looked furious, not frightened. "Dominic, I cut my hand this morning checking the greenhouse lock. Arthur was there. He gave me a handkerchief."

Quinn stared at him. "And somehow your blood ended up inside his car?"

"Maybe he touched the wheel after touching the cloth."

"Convenient."

Vincent pointed at the bandage near his thumb. "Check the cameras."

Quinn didn't blink. "Somebody did a pretty good job making cameras unreliable tonight."

She took his sidearm.

I hated the sight of it.

Vincent Russo had been with me eighteen years. He held Elena's umbrella outside the church on our wedding day. He carried Ethan through the emergency room when my son had his first allergic reaction. If Vincent had betrayed me, then the word family meant nothing.

Lily suddenly climbed off her chair.

"Not him."

Everyone looked at her.

She pointed at Vincent's shoes. "The cake man made tap-tap."

Quinn crouched. "Tap-tap?"

Lily dragged one foot, then tapped the heel against the floor.

Vincent wore rubber-soled dress shoes. Arthur wore an orthopedic shoe with a hard heel because of his damaged leg.

Quinn's phone rang again.

This time she stepped into the hall.

Sophia moved closer to me. "Mr. Moretti... Dominic. There's something I should have told you years ago."

"About Arthur?"

She nodded.

Her hands trembled.

"The night Elena died, I was working. I wasn't head housekeeper then. I was upstairs turning down your bedroom. Elena came in around nine. She was crying."

The world narrowed around her words.

"What did she say?"

"She asked me for an envelope. Then she wrote something. She made me promise that if anything happened to her, I would put it somewhere you would find it."

My throat went dry.

"Did you?"

Sophia looked ashamed. "I tried. The next morning the envelope was gone from my room. Arthur told me Elena's accident had been caused by ice. He told me you were barely holding together. He said bringing up Elena's panic would only hurt you."

"What panic?"

Sophia's eyes filled.

"She said someone was stealing from you. Someone close."

Quinn came back into the room, face hard.

"We found Arthur."

"Where?"

"North gate drainage ditch. He's alive. Barely."

She paused.

"And before the ambulance took him, he said one word."

"What word?"