Chapter 2 - The Brother Who Feared a Piece of Metal|
Salvatore didn't look at the fragment first.
He looked at Carmine.
“Why,” he asked quietly, “does my brother look as if you've pulled a bullet out of his heart?”
Carmine forced a laugh.
“Because you've spent eight years letting strangers poke around your mouth, and now this woman has convinced you there's a conspiracy hiding in your tooth.”
“I'm a dentist,” I said. “I don't convince people of conspiracies. I identify abnormalities.”
“Then identify a cavity and collect your money.”
Salvatore lifted one hand.
Carmine fell silent.
That single gesture told me more about the brothers than any conversation could have. Salvatore didn't need to shout to control a room. Carmine, meanwhile, looked like a man who was used to being obeyed but had never learned how to accept being questioned.
“Doctor,” Salvatore said, “explain what you found.”
I placed the fragment beneath the magnifying lamp.
“It appears to be a tiny piece of metal embedded near the damaged tooth. I can't tell you its origin from appearance alone. It may have entered the tissue during your old injury. But I need a specialist to examine it.”
“Could it have caused his pain?” Carmine asked.
“Possibly. The tooth was severely damaged, and the surrounding tissue was inflamed. The fragment may have contributed to the problem, but I won't claim that until we've investigated it.”
Salvatore studied the metal.
“Eight years,” he murmured. “Eight years of doctors telling me the pain was an old injury.”
“Did any of them know about the fragment?” I asked.
“No.”
Carmine stepped closer to the tray.
“Then it's probably a piece of shrapnel. The harbor was full of it that night.”
“Maybe,” I said. “But you reacted before I even explained what it was.”
His expression turned cold.
“You should be careful about what you think you've seen, Doctor.”
“And you should be careful about threatening someone in front of your brother.”
A guard near the door actually coughed to hide a laugh.
Salvatore's mouth twitched, though the movement seemed to hurt.
“Everyone out,” he ordered.
Carmine didn't move.
“I'm staying.”
“That wasn't a request.”
For several seconds, the brothers stared at one another. Then Carmine turned toward the door, his jaw rigid.
As he passed me, he leaned close enough that only I could hear him.
“Take your money and forget what you found.”
I held his gaze.
“I'd forget a bad haircut before I'd forget a piece of metal inside a patient's body.”
He left without answering.
Salvatore waited until the door closed.
“Do you know what happened to my first dentist?” he asked.
I felt my stomach tighten.
“No.”
“He decided to investigate my injury without permission. Two days later, he disappeared from the city.”
“Are you telling me you had him killed?”
“I'm telling you what happened. I don't know where he went.”
It wasn't reassuring.
I sealed the fragment in a sterile specimen container, documented its condition, and explained that it should be examined by a qualified forensic laboratory. Salvatore insisted that his own people handle the transport.
I refused.
“If you want a credible result, the sample needs a documented chain of custody. Otherwise, anyone could claim it was switched.”
His dark eyes narrowed.
“You speak to me as if I were an ordinary patient.”
“You hired an ordinary dentist.”
For a moment, I thought he might throw me out.
Instead, he laughed softly, then winced.
“God help me. I think I like you.”
“I recommend ice packs and pain medication as prescribed. Liking your dentist isn't part of the treatment plan.”
I packed my instruments while he watched me.
Then he said something that made me stop.
“Doctor, the night I was shot, three men died. One of them was my closest friend.”
“I’m sorry.”
“He was standing beside me when the first shot was fired. The bullet that hit my face came from the direction of my own security team.”
I turned.
“Are you saying someone inside your organization tried to kill you?”
“I've believed that for eight years.”
“Then why hasn't anyone been arrested?”
His expression became unreadable.
“Because the only witness I trusted was my brother.”
A knock sounded at the door.
A guard entered, pale and breathless, holding a phone.
“Boss, we have a problem.”
Salvatore's entire posture changed.
“What?”
“The specimen container. It was in the locked medical room for less than three minutes.”
“And?”
“The room is empty.”
I looked at the tray.
The tiny piece of metal was gone.
Salvatore rose slowly from his chair.
“Lock down the estate.”
Then he turned to me.
May you like
“Doctor, whoever took that fragment knows exactly what you found.”
And somewhere beyond the study door, an alarm began to scream.
