Chapter 6
Chapter six
I’m pretty sure I set an Olympic record for how fast I change. I don’t want to leave Dominic unattended in my house. Who knows what his former FBI ass is capable of.
Sweatpants and a sweatshirt are my wardrobe of choice. Nonna wouldn’t approve, but I’m still recovering and I want to be comfy. Besides, Matteo and Salvatore have taken charge of the business until I feel better, so that gives me plenty of time to find my killer.
Hobbling down the stairs, I see Dominic in the foyer leaning against the double doors that lead to the ballroom. He looks up and studies me.
“Still going for the cozy vibes I see,” he chuckles.
“I’m still recovering.” I reach the bottom step and stand in front of him.
His gaze turns dark and serious. “I hate that someone tried to hurt you, Cipriani.”
“Me too,” I whisper.
“All the guests who came to your party were screened here and then went directly to the ballroom?” Dominic turns to the front door.
“Yes. Security was sitting there. Guests had to wait in line and have their names checked off the list. They gave their coat to the attendant and were escorted into the party. Guards were posted in the foyer and the second floor. Everywhere in the house was closed off, except the ballroom.”
“Could someone have snuck past?”
“I doubt it. There was security everywhere. I had double the protection.”
“Were there any no-shows?” Dominic makes a note in his book.
“I don’t know. I can get the list and give it to you.”
He looks up at me. “You’re not very prepared are you? Someone is trying to kill you. You should have already thought of these things.”
“Well excuse me for almost dying and being in the hospital,” I snap.
A smirk twists on Dominic’s lips as if he’s getting enjoyment out of breaking my stones. “Fine, have the list sent to me at my private email. Now walk me through everything that happened.”
“I was in the ballroom for most of it. The first half hour was appetizers. Then the dinner was brought out. I almost collided with one of the servers while I was mingling but that’s it.”
Dominic shakes his head. “Bull in a china shop,” he mutters.
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing. Did you notice anything suspicious?”
I shake my head. “No.”
Dominic writes something in his notebook. “Alright, let’s head inside and go over the scene from there.”
My fingers wrap around the handle but then hesitation stops me. I haven’t been here since the shooting. Images flash through my brain.
Me giving the toast...
Cutting the cake…
Pain ripping through my side...
Blood on my fingers…
Bruno and Emiliano taking me out the side door...
My breath catches in my throat. The fact this happened in my own house makes me sick. A part of me wants to burn the whole ballroom down and forget the incident ever happened.
“Cipi?”
I see Dominic by my side.
“Are you okay? You look pale.” Concern is etched on his face.
“I’m fine.”
I’m a queen after all and queens don’t show weakness.
Taking a deep breath, I open the doors.
The massive room greets us, but it’s barren now. All the tables and chairs have been removed. Mama must have taken care of that when I was in the hospital. The faint smell of cleaner lingers in the air.
Crystal chandeliers catch the sun’s rays and fracture them into scattered rainbows that shimmer across the polished marble floor.
Shiny mirrors line one wall and velvet drapes frame the towering windows on the other.
The far wall houses glass doors that lead out onto the porch.
The ones I was half-carried through after being shot.
The memory of last week’s chaos hangs heavy in the air as we walk to the center of the space. I look down expecting to see my blood pooling on the floor.
“Wow, Cipi.” Dominic’s voice interrupts my thoughts. “Your dirty money has really paid off. Not everyone can say they have a ballroom in their house.”
So much for him being sympathetic. “Shut up.” I groan. “Why do you always have to be like that? I almost died here.”
He doesn’t reply, instead he changes the subject. “When you entered the ballroom what did you do?”
“I was mingling with the guests. Then I went over there to the east wall to grab some food. Oh…wait…before that I was trying to reach Lucia. I went over by the parlor palms so no one would hear me. Nonna found me. I ate and talked to Mama. Lastly, I gave the toast and cut the cake. Then….” My voice trails off.
Dominic scribbles a note. “Where are the exits?”
I point to the far end of the ballroom. “There’s a set of French doors over there. They lead out onto the porch and gardens.”
“Could someone have gone in and out of those doors without being noticed?”
I shrug. “It's possible. The porch is hidden from the driveway, but there was security. All the perimeters were covered.”
“We have the French doors and the main entrance. Are there any other entrances?” Dominic makes another note.
“Behind the buffet tables there is a service entrance where the staff brought the food.” I gesture to the wall behind the long buffet table. “It connects to the kitchen.”
“I don’t see it.”
“You can’t, it’s hidden.” I walk over to the wall and feel for the latch. Turning it, I open the door to show him, then close it. “See.”
“Someone could have slipped through. But there is no way a person could have shot you from this entrance. With all the people in this area someone would have seen him. The shots had to come from somewhere else. Show me where you were standing.”
“Right here.” I walk over to the circular table that’s positioned near the French doors, just a ways away from the long buffet table.
My fingertips brush the polished wood as I remember the chaos that erupted here and the silent bullets that flew through the air. The memory of the red velvet cake dances on my tongue like a lingering ghost.
Dominic puts the notebook on the buffet table and approaches me. He circles me like a predator before coming to a stop inches from my face.
His gaze locks onto mine with an intensity that makes my breath quicken. He points to my left side.
“The bullet hit here?” he asks softly, not breaking eye contact.
I nod. My heart pulses faster.
“I hate that someone wanted to put a bullet in you,” he whispers. “But it’s a good thing you’re tougher than they thought. I can’t wait to find the motherfucker who did this.”
I don’t trust myself to reply.
We stare at each other. I fight to keep the swirling emotions away. Memories flood my brain of our most intimate moments. We had been so in love, and then it had all gotten ripped away.
He takes a step back, breaking the space between us. “Based on the angle, it looks like the bullets came from above.”
A lightbulb goes off in my brain. “That’s it.” I grab his arm. “The balcony.” Pointing, I turn my gaze to the balcony that runs over the entrance. “That’s where the shots must have come from.”
Dominic follows my line of sight. “Can we go up there?”
“Yes but the only way to access it is through the second floor. You have to go out of the ballroom, up the stairs, take two rights and then go down the hall and the doors are on your left.” I pause. “There’s no way anyone could have gotten up there, we had too much security.”
“Anything is possible.” Dominic takes my arm. “Let’s check it out.”
We head upstairs and down the narrow corridor to the doors. He opens them and we step out onto the narrow ledge with a railing overlooking the entire ballroom.
It’s been forever since I’ve been up here, and the space is smaller than I remember. However, no one can deny it gives a perfect line of sight to the cake table.
“The shot had to come from here,” Dominic murmurs.
“The way this balcony is built, the person standing here would have a clear shot and still be able to hide in the shadows. Everyone would have been busy enjoying the party, and a lot of people would be intoxicated or occupied. No one would be looking up. And with a silencer on the gun, no one would be the wiser.”
‘But security was supposed to be patrolling this area,” I protest. “Bruno said he was shutting down the entire second floor to deter people from coming up here.”
“Maybe Bruno missed something.”
“So you’re saying a shooter sneaks up here, walks onto this balcony, shoots me, then walks back through those doors into the corridor that has a ton of guards and no one sees them. That makes no sense, how would they escape?”
“Maybe one of the guards was working with the killer,” Dominic suggests.
“It’s possible.” I pause. “When I was leaving my bedroom and coming down the hall I thought I sensed someone in this corridor but I didn’t think anything of it.”
“There are no cameras in this area.” Dominic scans the ballroom.
“No. I don’t know why. I guess because no one comes up here and these doors are supposed to be locked.”
“Shouldn’t a mafia boss know it’s important to cover any possible means of intrusion?” Dominic smirks.
“There were supposed to be guards posted all throughout the second floor,” I protest. “Besides, Bruno would have never allowed anyone to come up here. What about the porch? That’s where Bruno and his men took me when I got shot.
It leads to the side yard and then you have to go around the house to get to the driveway.
Security cameras don’t cover the part between the porch and the driveway, there are blind spots. ”
Dominic shakes his head. “The angle doesn’t match where the bullets came from. It has to be here. But we can go downstairs and take a look. Standing up here gives me the creeps.”
Minutes later we are back in the ballroom.
Together we step through the French doors onto the veranda.
The autumn air is crisp and there is a slight breeze.
Mums, violas, asters, and snapdragons decorate the space.
A railing runs along the entire porch, except for the opening where the steps lead down to the side yard and the driveway.
“Was this open to the guests at your party?” Dominic asks.
“I didn’t close it off so some people might have gone outside to get some air.” I walk over and lean on the railing. “And like I said earlier, this is the way I was taken to get to the hospital.”
“Did anyone notice you? Did you see anyone?” Dominic comes over and stands next to me.
I shake my head. “I was so busy trying to maintain my composure I wasn’t paying attention. I didn’t want to let on that something was wrong with me.”
He’s close to me now and I feel the heat radiating from his body. His presence feels like a shield, comforting and dangerous at the same time.
“Based on your injury and the trajectory needed to make the shot, I can conclude that the shots were fired from the balcony in the ballroom. Now we have to figure out how the shooter got up there and escaped without being detected by anyone.” He glances over at me. “You’re shivering.”
“I’m not. I’m fine. It’s warm in the sun.”
He takes off his flannel and puts it over me.
“Thank you,” I whisper, glancing down at his arm muscles. His cologne fills my nostrils.
“You’re welcome. I’m going to need a list of all the guests, the names of everyone on your security team, and all the staff that worked this event. I’m going to have my team do background checks on everyone.”
“I still don’t trust Elio,” I blurt out. “I feel like he had something to do with it.”
“Who’s that?” Dominic looks at me.
“The grandson of one of the members on the board. Everyone assures me he was standing next to his grandmother, Madeline, the whole time, but I don’t trust it. Also he is apparently dating Gigi.”
“You always were the protective sister.” Dominic chuckles. “That always was your weak spot, Cipriani. You put yourself through hell to make sure everyone else is safe.”
I don’t reply because I know he’s right.
“On another note,” Dominic murmurs, “How are you really feeling? Not just about the shooting, but about everything.”
I hesitate. “I don’t know. Angry. Tired. Sore. But I’m not going to let whoever did this break me.”
“Good to hear. So what’s your plan when we find out who did this to you?”
“Make them regret ever messing with me.”
“Somehow I knew you would say that. Even though I don’t agree with the way your family handles things, I think your method would be justified.”
Silence covers us as we continue to lean against the porch railing side by side. Sunlight casts long shadows behind us, reminding me that the past still haunts every corner of this mansion and there’s a killer waiting to strike again.