Chapter 4 - The Locked Door
I sat alone in the massive master bedroom, staring at the locked mahogany door.
Dominic had left me there with a team of doctors to change my bandages.
The revelation that he had been secretly paying my mother's staggering medical bills made no sense.
I was just a waitress.
He was the king of the New York underworld.
I slowly stood up, biting my lip to suppress a scream as my stitched wounds stretched.
I walked over to the heavy door and turned the brass knob.
It was unlocked from the inside, meaning I wasn't technically a prisoner.
I slipped out into the silent, dimly lit hallway.
I needed to find the file Dominic had mentioned to Enzo at the hospital.
I remembered passing a large study on the ground floor with heavy oak doors.
I crept down the marble staircase, clutching my side with every painful step.
The study door was slightly ajar, casting a sliver of golden light onto the floor.
I slipped inside, finding a massive room lined with thousands of leather-bound books.
A large mahogany desk sat in the center of the room.
I quietly opened the top drawer and began sifting through neat stacks of documents.
I found shipping manifests, political campaign donations, and property deeds.
There was no file with my name on it.
I dropped to my knees and found a small wall safe hidden behind a framed painting.
Before I could touch the dial, I heard heavy footsteps approaching the hallway.
I quickly scrambled under the large desk, holding my breath as the door swung open.
Enzo walked into the room, talking quietly on his cell phone.
"The girl is getting suspicious," Enzo whispered into the receiver.
He walked over to the desk, standing just inches from my face.
"Yes, the boss still has the ledger," Enzo continued.
Enzo reached under the desk and pulled a hidden lever that I hadn't noticed.
A secret panel on the side of the desk popped open, revealing a black leather ledger.
Enzo checked the book, closed the panel, and quickly walked out of the room.
I waited five agonizing minutes before crawling out and pulling the secret lever myself.
I opened the black ledger and turned to the marked page.
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My name, Clara Vance, was written in bold ink under a column titled "Acquired Assets."
The date next to my name was exactly one year before the hotel shooting.
