Chapter 5 - THE SECOND WARNING
We moved Ethan before sunrise.
The secure residence was a private medical property outside Greenwich, owned by a company that had no public connection to the Moretti family. It had reinforced windows, a medical suite, two independent power systems, and a security team that reported directly to Frank.
I had never wanted to bring my son there.
It was a place designed for people who expected someone to come looking for them.
Ethan woke in the back of the SUV and stared at the unfamiliar trees.
“Are we going on vacation?”
“Something like that,” I said.
“Can I swim?”
“Not today.”
“Can Lily?”
I looked at Sophia, who sat beside him with Lily asleep against her shoulder.
“We'll see.”
Ethan frowned. “You always say that when you mean no.”
I almost smiled.
“Then I'll give you a better answer. Not today, but maybe tomorrow.”
He accepted that.
Sophia had packed one suitcase for herself and Lily. She had brought Ethan's favorite pajamas, his stuffed dinosaur, and the small framed photograph he kept beside his bed. She had thought of everything while I was still ordering men to seal doors.
At the residence, Dr. Harris checked Ethan again. His tests were normal. The contaminated frosting had never touched his mouth, and there was no evidence of exposure. Still, the doctor wanted him monitored for twenty-four hours.
I stayed in the room until Ethan fell asleep.
When I stepped into the hall, Frank was waiting.
“We located Malcolm's car,” he said. “The driver was found at a gas station. He says Malcolm ordered him to stop, got out, and left in another vehicle.”
“Did he identify the vehicle?”
“A dark sedan. No plates recorded.”
“Where was Malcolm headed?”
“The driver doesn't know. He was told to wait.”
“Did the driver know about the message?”
“No.”
“Any contact with Anthony?”
“His phone is off. His home is empty. His office says he hasn't been there since last night.”
I stared at the security report.
“Find him.”
Frank lowered his voice. “The police are now treating the incident as a coordinated attempted homicide. They want to interview you and the household staff.”
“They can interview everyone.”
“They also want to speak with Lily.”
“No.”
Frank looked surprised.
“She is three years old,” I said. “She can answer questions with her mother present, but no one is going to put her under pressure or make her feel responsible.”
“I'll tell them.”
A nurse approached with a tablet. “Mr. Moretti, Ethan is awake. He asked for you.”
I went back inside.
My son was sitting upright, his dinosaur tucked beneath his arm.
“Dad?”
“I'm here.”
“Did the bad man get caught?”
“Not yet.”
“Why?”
“Because he doesn't want us to find him.”
Ethan thought about that.
“Can the police find him?”
“They're trying.”
He looked toward the window. “Will he come here?”
“No. This place is safe.”
“Are you sure?”
I sat beside him.
“I have people watching every door. And I'm staying with you.”
He leaned against my arm.
“Can I have cake tomorrow?”
I laughed softly. “Yes. But Dr. Harris will check every ingredient.”
“And Lily gets some?”
“Lily gets the first piece.”
He smiled.
I stayed until he slept again.
At noon, Naomi arrived with a new report. She had obtained a copy of the email that changed the cake supplier. The message had been sent through Anthony's assistant's account, but the actual sender was a temporary contractor named Rebecca Shaw. Rebecca had been hired by Malcolm three months earlier to handle vendor communications.
“Where is she?” I asked.
“Her apartment is empty. Her phone was disconnected yesterday.”
“Another missing person.”
“Not necessarily. She may have left because she heard about the investigation.”
“Find her.”
Naomi opened a second file.
“The replacement bakery's owner says he received an unusual instruction. He was told to prepare a special batch of frosting and deliver it separately. He refused because the request violated his food safety procedures. The order was then canceled.”
“Then how did the contaminated frosting get here?”
“The cake company received a second delivery from a courier. It was logged as a replacement container.”
“Who signed for it?”
“Margaret.”
I turned toward her.
“Did she know?”
“She's cooperating. She says the courier showed her a sealed package with the supplier's label. She put it in the refrigerator.”
“Did she open it?”
“No.”
“Who did?”
Naomi brought up a still image from the kitchen camera. It showed a catering assistant carrying a silver container toward the cake table.
“Name?”
“Daniel Rusk. He worked for the event caterer.”
“Where is he?”
“His employer says he left after the party. He hasn't returned home.”
I felt the anger rise again.
“Every person involved disappears. How convenient.”
Naomi's expression was serious. “This may be more organized than we first thought.”
A knock sounded at the door.
Frank entered.
“Sir, Lily wants to speak with you.”
I looked at Sophia, who stood behind him.
“Is she comfortable?”
“She says she remembers something else.”
We went to the family room. Lily was sitting at a low table, coloring a picture of a yellow house. She looked up when I entered.
“Mr. Dominic.”
“Hello, Lily.”
She held up the drawing. “This is Ethan's house.”
“That's very good.”
“This is the bad man.”
She pointed to a black stick figure near the edge of the page.
I crouched beside her.
“Can you tell me what you remember?”
Lily tapped the drawing.
“He had a shiny thing here.” She pointed to the chest. “Like a bird.”
Sophia's face tightened.
“Lily, sweetheart, you don't have to remember everything.”
“I remember,” Lily said.
I kept my voice soft. “Was it a bird?”
“Uh-huh. A little silver bird. He talked to another man.”
“What did the other man look like?”
Lily thought.
“He had no hair here.” She touched the top of her head. “And a red face.”
I looked at Frank.
He knew who she meant.
Harold Crane, the event security supervisor.
Crane had been responsible for coordinating the outside guards and checking the vendor entrance. He had worked for my family for six years.
“Did the men say anything?” I asked.
Lily nodded.
“One said, ‘Not until the candles.’ The other said, ‘I know.’”
Sophia covered her mouth.
I felt my blood run cold.
The plan had been timed for the moment Ethan blew out the candles and everyone leaned close. The cake was not simply contaminated. It was positioned to make the attack look like a tragic accident caused by an allergy.
I stood.
“Frank, find Harold Crane. Now.”
Frank checked his phone.
“He's at the estate.”
“Where?”
“Security control room.”
I looked at Naomi.
“Call the police. Tell them we have a witness statement identifying the security supervisor.”
Frank's radio crackled.
“Control room to D'Amato. Crane has left the building. Repeat, Crane has left the building.”
I was already moving.
The secure residence had once been used by a retired surgeon who treated high-profile patients. Its medical suite was small but fully equipped, and the staff had no connection to the estate. I had arranged for a pediatric nurse to remain with Ethan around the clock. Dr. Harris personally checked the kitchen, the pantry, and the refrigerator before allowing any food inside.
Ethan noticed the changes.
“Why does the lady write down everything I eat?” he asked.
“She's making sure your food is safe.”
“But you already know what I can eat.”
“I do. She checks it too, so we don't make a mistake.”
He thought about that, then nodded. “Two checks.”
“Exactly.”
It was the first time he had seemed comfortable with the new routine.
Sophia asked whether she and Lily could stay in the same room as Ethan. I agreed immediately. The children had become attached during the birthday party, and separating them would have added another fear to an already frightening week.
Later, I found Sophia sitting alone in the corridor. She told me she had been afraid I would blame Lily for causing a scene.
“I was angry for about three seconds,” I admitted. “Then I understood what she had done.”
“She thought you would be mad.”
“I know.”
Sophia wiped her eyes. “She has always been observant. She notices when people move things, when a door is open, when someone changes their voice. I used to tell her she was being nosy.”
“Maybe she was paying attention.”
Sophia smiled faintly. “I won't tell her to stop.”
I thanked her for trusting us enough to stay. She said she was not doing it for me. She was doing it because Ethan needed Lily, and Lily needed to know she had not done anything wrong.
That answer made me respect her more than any formal promise of loyalty ever could.
I also asked Sophia whether she wanted to return to the staff quarters after the investigation. She shook her head.
“I don't know what I want yet,” she said. “I just want Lily to stop thinking she did something wrong.”
“She didn't.”
“I know. But she heard people shouting. She saw Ethan frightened. She thinks she broke his birthday.”
I looked through the doorway at the children.
“Then we'll make a new memory.”
Sophia nodded. “One without a hundred guests.”
May you like
“One without a hundred guests,” I agreed.
I asked Frank to arrange a small celebration when Dr. Harris cleared Ethan to eat normally. No press, no business associates, no formal speeches. Just the people who mattered to the children.
