Chapter 4 - THE LITTLE BLUE BOTTLE
The first search of Isabella’s bedroom found nothing.
The second search found too much.
Marco removed the false bottom from a jewelry case.
Inside were three prepaid phones.
A flash drive.
Two keys.
And a tiny empty blue glass bottle.
Alessandro stared at it without touching it.
Sofia had described blue.
Marco placed it carefully inside an evidence bag.
Isabella watched from the doorway.
Her confidence cracked.
“That is perfume oil.”
“Then you won’t mind having it tested.”
Her mouth tightened.
“You’re treating me like a criminal.”
“You are in possession of the exact bottle a child described seeing over my breakfast.”
“It’s coincidence.”
“Three phones?”
“I value privacy.”
“A flash drive hidden under jewelry?”
“Personal documents.”
“Eleven entries into my security room?”
She stopped.
That was the first question she could not answer immediately.
Alessandro stepped closer.
“I gave you every luxury you asked for.”
Isabella’s eyes hardened.
“There it is.”
“What?”
“The great Alessandro Romano.”
“Always keeping score.”
“This has nothing to do with luxury.”
“It has everything to do with control.”
Alessandro almost laughed at the hypocrisy.
“You disabled cameras inside my home.”
“You have cameras everywhere.”
“Because enemies exist.”
“You see enemies everywhere.”
“Today I found one in my bedroom.”
That landed.
Isabella looked away.
Marco connected the flash drive to an isolated computer.
Most files were encrypted.
One was not.
A scanned insurance policy.
Alessandro Romano.
Ten million dollars.
Primary beneficiary.
Isabella Moretti.
Alessandro read the effective date.
Six months earlier.
His lawyer had never shown him that policy.
He had never signed it.
He looked closer.
There was his signature.
Almost perfect.
Almost.
Isabella sat down.
“I can explain.”
Alessandro turned slowly.
“Please do.”
She opened her mouth.
Then stopped.
That was when Elena rushed into the hall.
Her face was white.
“Sir.”
Marco frowned.
“What happened?”
“Sofia is gone.”
Alessandro moved before she finished.
“What do you mean gone?”
“Rosa went to the bathroom.”
“When she returned, the room was empty.”
Alessandro looked at Isabella.
She looked genuinely shocked.
Or she was very good.
He grabbed her wrist.
“Where is she?”
“I don’t know.”
“Where is Sofia?”
“I said I don’t know.”
Elena began crying.
Marco shouted orders into his radio.
The gates were locked.
Every vehicle was checked.
Every room searched.
Then one guard called from the west service entrance.
They had found Sofia’s cloth doll.
It was lying in the snow.
Beside the doll was a set of tire tracks leading toward a gate that should never have opened.
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And security showed the gate had been unlocked using one man’s private code.
Marco Bellini’s.
