Chapter 18
Chapter eighteen
“I’ve gone through the footage so many times and there’s nothing suspicious.” AJ, our tech guru, presses a button to fast-forward the feed on his laptop. “Until you get right here…”
It’s late in the afternoon and we’re in my living room watching the camera footage on the TV above the fireplace. AJ has connected his laptop to it. He taps the keys on his device.
The footage from the hallway camera outside the balcony doors to the ballroom freezes.
“Right here in the bottom corner, you can see a shadow near the molding. Then everything goes black. The timestamp shows 8:43.”
I shift my weight on the couch, trying to ease my aching ribs. “That shadow is a person.”
“But who?” Matteo leans against the doorframe with his arms crossed. “Did any other camera pick it up?”
“All the cameras went down at the exact same time.” AJ checks his notes.
“Why didn’t any of the guards that were posted upstairs see this person?” Salvatore drums his fingers on the armchair.
“There was one guard stationed at the end of that hallway. His back was to it…probably because that leads to a dead end. But still no one should have gotten past him,” AJ explains.
“Bruno was upstairs the whole time. He assigned where the guards were posted. Why didn’t he see anything?” Salvatore leans forward in his chair.
“Because he went downstairs at 8:35 according to the cameras.” AJ swipes through the footage. “That left four guards covering the upstairs.”
“Why did he go downstairs?” I demand.
AJ changes the scene. “Right here, apparently somebody tried to enter your party who wasn’t on the list.”
The camera switches to the foyer. A woman stands in the entryway.
Short copper curls spill around her face and a tight crimson dress hugs her frame.
She seems visibly upset that the guard at the door isn’t letting her in.
The guard mutters something into his walkie.
Seconds later Bruno comes down the stairs.
His eyes widen when he sees the woman.
She throws up her hands in frustration.
Bruno exchanges words with her. The other four guards posted upstairs come downstairs to help. More words are exchanged. Then Bruno takes her arm and escorts her outside, followed by a few more guards.
“Go back, AJ,” I demand.
AJ rewinds until I tell him to stop and pause. I point to Bruno’s face. “Look at his face. He knows this woman. Who is she?”
Matteo and Salvatore’s faces reveal they don’t know who she is either.
I make a mental note to get this footage to Dominic ASAP.
“Where were you two when all this happened?”
“I was at the back table gambling with a few of our cousins. I was going through heartbreak at the time and needed to escape,” Matteo replies.
I roll my eyes. “And you recovered fabulously.”
“I was monitoring the bottom floor. I think I was in the living room when this happened.” Salvatore points to the TV. “It should come up. I heard the ruckus and went to help.”
I move closer to AJ who is sitting on the couch with me. Leaning over the laptop, I fast-forward the footage and see Salvatore enter the frame just after Bruno escorts the woman outside.
Something glows to my left. Looking down I see AJ’s burner phone light up with a message.
Port Shipment Reroute Reminder - all cameras are to be turned off at 9 pm.
“What’s this?” I ask.
“Nothing, it’s an automated text.”
I snatch AJ’s phone before he can take it. Thankfully AJ doesn’t keep a lock on his burner. I swipe it open to see a text from Matteo’s burner. The message instructs AJ to turn off the cameras at 9 pm on the South Port because our shipments will be entering there instead of the East Port.
“Why are we changing drop-off locations, Matteo?” I look at my cousin.
“There was a gang shooting near our East Port location. Cops have been swarming the area all day. They are going to ramp up their patrol tonight and probably for the next few weeks.”
“Why wasn’t I consulted about this?” I hand the phone back to AJ.
“I was going to. I just didn’t have a chance. It’s not a big deal, Cipi. You’re recovering and you’re busy trying to track down a killer.”
“I’m recovering but I’m not dead. I’m still in charge.”
“Yes, Cugina, but I’m the underboss. Everything falls on me when you’re not around and you haven’t exactly been taking charge of things,” Matteo protests.
“I should have been looped in,” I snap. “This is an important decision.”
“We didn’t want to bother you with shipping ports and cargo loads,” Salvatore interjects. “It was the right decision.”
“Either way I’m the one in charge. I’m still the boss. I should have been notified of these decisions.” I don’t know why I’m getting so upset over this. I glare at them. “What other decisions have you made behind my back?”
Matteo and Salvatore glance at each other.
“We weren’t trying to do anything behind your back. We were just running the organization.” Matteo shrugs.
“I want a list of what you did without getting my approval,” I demand. “This making decisions without my sign-off ends now. I’m in charge and things will run as they always have. Capisci?”
Matteo and Salvatore nod.
“This meeting is done. You all can leave. We will talk about this tomorrow.” I get to my feet and point to the door.
AJ closes his laptop and puts it into his suitcase. Matteo storms out of the room without saying goodbye. Salvatore gives me a pat on the shoulder and leaves.
Once they are all gone I lock the door and stand there fuming.
Why am I taking this so personal?
I’ve had Matteo and Salvatore make lots of decisions through the years, but they always looped me in.
Why aren’t they telling me stuff?
I shouldn’t be overreacting, they are family. But after almost being killed at my private invite only party, my trust has been rattled.
But Matteo making decisions without my approval doesn’t sit well with me.
Could he be the one behind my attempted assassination?
He was pretty sore years ago when Father’s will made me the boss. He wouldn’t admit it but I knew he never thought in a million years my father would put a woman in charge.
Taking out my own laptop, I pull up the camera footage that covers the hallway where the ballroom doors to the balcony are.
A shadow appears at the bottom of the screen then disappears. Someone was already in the corridor at this time. But how could they have gotten past the guard? That hallway was a dead end.
Then it hits me.
At the end of the hallway is a small half bath, tucked in an alcove that no one uses. If I remember correctly there is a window.
I want to smack myself. How could I have been so stupid. You’d think I’d know my own house by now. But this house is way too big for one person. Half the rooms I’ve never even stepped foot in.
My hand grips the curved banister as I force my body up the stairs. My chest still aches and the wounds under the gauze pull with each step.
Reaching the top, I turn down the abandoned hallway.
A chill runs down my spine as I walk past the doors to the balcony.
My killer had walked this very hall and snuck through those doors with the intent to kill me. Thank God he didn’t succeed.
I walk to the end of the hall and open the door to the half bath.
Flicking on the switch, the light hums to life. A pale glow spills over the white tile. The pedestal sink gleams, and right next to the toilet is the window.
Walking over to it, I see it's locked. My fingers find the latch and slide it open.
Looking down, I see a trellis running down to the bushes.
Since this bathroom is positioned in the farthest corner of the house, there are no cameras, no guards, and no coverage.
The killer could have snuck around the side, climbed up the trellis, slipped through the window, and waited here until the right moment.
Then made a dash onto the balcony, fired the gun, and climbed back through the window all without being noticed.
I take out my phone and text the security installer to tell him I need extra cameras.
Staring at the window again, I pause.
But the window was locked from the inside. Maybe the intruder could have broken it or maybe someone had left it unlocked.
One of the guards patrolling the hall could have easily opened the window, then closed it, and no one would have known.
My stomach twists. Whoever wants me dead has someone in my circle working for them. Stepping back from the window, something catches my eye by the baseboard.
A bobby pin.
I pick it up with the edge of my sleeve and drop it into a small plastic bag from the drawer. It’s then I notice a mark on the floor near the wall.
It’s half a footprint.
It had rained the day before my party so the dirt in the yard was slightly damp. The killer must have tried to clean up and forgot about that mark. Or maybe assumed I would never see it because I don’t go in here.
I make a mental note to call my other cousin, Sevino, who works in forensics, and have this analyzed.
Just as I’m about to text Dominic and let him know what I’ve discovered, the doorbell rings.
Looking at my phone, I see it’s the mailman. Stepping over the footprint, I head downstairs and open the door.
The mailman stands on the porch with his clipboard in hand.
“Good afternoon, Miss Capuano. I got a package here for you.”
He hands me a brown box with no return address.
“Do you know who sent this package?” I ask.
“No, ma'am, there’s no return address.”
“Thank you.” I sign for it and close the door.
I carry the box into the living room. This box looks very familiar, like the one that was sent here last time.
The one from the person who wants me dead.
Setting the box down on the coffee table, I’m praying it’s not another dead snake.
I shake the box and I hear a slight thud.
I tap the box but nothing moves.
I should wait for somebody to come and inspect the box first, but I can’t wait.
Grabbing a pair of scissors, I slice open the tape. Then I wedge my fingers underneath to rip open the box.
Holding my breath, I look inside.
At the bottom of the box is a single black raven feather.
I pull it out.
Attached to the base of the feather is a piece of paper with one word typed on it.
Bishop.
Bruno’s words flash through my mind.
The bishop watches from within.