Chapter 15 - THE GLASS THAT CAME BACK| The second tumbler was not in the cabinet.
Marcus searched the office, the kitchen, and the private storage rooms. The inventory records showed that two matching glasses had belonged to Anthony Castellano, but only one had been listed after his death.
The second glass had disappeared from the estate's records three years earlier.
Adriano looked at Nina.
"Are you certain you saw it?"
She nodded.
"I saw Mrs. Valentina put it on the shelf. She said it was a spare."
"When?"
"Last week. Before you told everyone not to bring you drinks."
Adriano felt a cold wave move through him.
"Did anyone else see it?"
Nina thought carefully.
"Mr. Simone was there. He opened the cabinet for her."
Marcus immediately checked the office-access records.
Simone had entered the room four times during the previous week, including one visit after midnight. The camera had been disabled during two of those visits.
"He's still working for you?" Nina asked.
Adriano looked at Marcus.
"Not anymore."
Simone's accounts had already been suspended, and the investigators were preparing to question him about the hidden medical payments. But he had not yet been located.
A search of his apartment found no personal belongings, only a clean desk and a half-empty closet.
He had left without notifying anyone.
Then, shortly before midnight, Adriano's private phone rang.
Simone's voice came through.
"You should have let things remain as they were."
Adriano stood.
"Where are you?"
"Somewhere you cannot reach me."
"Why did you drug my drink?"
A pause followed.
"I didn't."
"Then why did you arrange the payments to Ferro?"
"Because your father told me to."
"My father is dead."
Simone laughed softly.
"Is he?"
Adriano tightened his grip on the phone.
"Who is the original trustee?"
"I never saw the person's face. I received instructions through a private account. The trustee paid Ferro, maintained the records, and approved the changes to your medical plan."
"Who was it?"
"I don't know."
"Then why did you obey?"
"Because the trustee knew everything about your family. Every account. Every secret. Every person who could be used against you."
Adriano lowered his voice.
"What happened to the second glass?"
Simone said nothing.
Then the line disconnected.
Marcus began tracing the call.
The signal had originated from a public phone near the waterfront, but the call had been routed through several systems. By the time investigators reached the location, Simone had vanished.
Nina stood beside the office doorway, clutching her notebook.
"Sir?"
Adriano turned.
"Yes?"
"Did the bad man tell you where the glass is?"
"No."
Nina looked toward the desk.
"Then why is it back?"
Adriano froze.
The dark tumbler sat beside his papers.
Its gold band gleamed beneath the desk lamp.
The scratch shaped like a bent fishhook faced the window.
No one had brought it into the room.
The office had been locked.
Marcus approached carefully.
"That's impossible."
Adriano stared at the glass.
Then he took out his phone and called the investigators.
"Someone just entered a locked room without appearing on the security system."
May you like
He paused.
"And they wanted me to know they could still reach me."
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