Chapter 10 – [THE GHOST IN THE STUDY]

Answer one: Phase Two relied on an inside plant. Claire hadn’t run away out of guilt; she had faked her disappearance to operate from the shadows for the Mayor.

Open two: How did Claire get back into the estate? And how do I get the folder to Sofia without getting shot?

“Claire?” I gasped, instinctively clutching the red folder to my chest.

She looked different. Her maid’s uniform was gone, replaced by a sleek, black tactical suit. Her eyes, once warm and fearful, were now cold and dead.

“Hand over the folder, Emily,” Claire said, her voice steady. “The Mayor needs his loose ends tied up.”

“You lied to me,” I whispered, the betrayal stinging like a slap. “You gave me the emerald necklace. You warned me about Richard!”

“I fed you breadcrumbs,” Claire sneered. “Vanessa was getting sloppy. The Mayor needed Richard and Vanessa out of the way so he could take over the Cartel connection himself. You were just the pawn we used to expose them. Now, give me the folder.”

Outside, I could hear the loud, authoritative voices of the FBI agents entering the main hall. They were arresting Luca.

If Claire took this folder, Luca would go to federal prison for the rest of his life.

I had to think fast.

“You want it?” I yelled.

I threw the heavy red folder as hard as I could—not at her, but directly at the large, floor-to-ceiling antique mirror on the right wall.

The mirror shattered with a deafening crash, raining heavy shards of glass onto the floor.

Claire flinched, raising her arms to protect her face.

I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed the heavy bronze lamp off the desk and swung it with all my might at her wrist.

The brass connected with a sickening crack. Claire screamed, dropping the gun.

I dove for the folder, snatching it from the broken glass. I scrambled out the side door of the study that led to the servant’s corridors—my old territory. I knew these halls better than anyone.

“Emily!” Claire shrieked, recovering quickly and chasing after me.

I ran through the narrow, unlit passages, my heart pounding in my ears. I burst out the back kitchen door and sprinted across the lawn toward the guest house.

“Sofia!” I screamed as I pounded on her door.

Sofia threw the door open. I practically fell inside, gasping for air.

“Emily, what is it?” Sofia asked, bolting the door behind me.

“The folder,” I panted, shoving it into her hands. “It’s proof the Mayor is corrupt. Claire is working for him. The FBI just arrested Luca.”

Sofia’s eyes narrowed. She didn’t panic. She took the folder and walked over to her laptop.

“Twelve years ago, I ran because I didn’t know how to fight,” Sofia said grimly, opening the ledger. “Today, I fight.”

She pulled out her phone and dialed a number. “Get me the Chicago Tribune. The editor-in-chief. Tell him Sofia Romano has the biggest political scandal of the decade.”

Suddenly, the front door of the guest house shuddered violently.

BANG.

Someone was trying to kick it down.

“Open the door, Emily!” Claire’s muffled voice yelled from the porch. “The FBI is securing the perimeter. You have nowhere to run!”

Sofia hit ‘Send’ on her laptop, emailing the scanned documents directly to the press.

Then, she reached under the sofa cushion and pulled out a heavy silver revolver.

“Stay behind me,” Sofia said, aiming at the door.

The wood splintered as the door burst open.

TITLE: THE FINAL VERDICT

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