Chapter 2 - The Story They Prepared
The first police officer separated Dante from Javier.
The second spoke to Leo and Mia beside the fountain.
Dante wanted to stay with them.
Detective Dana Reeves, a calm woman in her late thirties who arrived twenty minutes later, stopped him.
"Let them answer without you."
"They're scared."
"I know."
"Javier attacked my son."
"And if that's what happened, their independent statements will matter."
Dante forced himself to step back.
That was when Celeste approached Detective Reeves.
"I'm corporate counsel for Mr. Moretti."
Dante laughed once, without humor.
"No, you're not."
Celeste turned.
"I represent Moretti Meridian."
"Not me."
"At the moment, that distinction matters less than you think."
Detective Reeves looked between them.
"Ms. Moretti, were you the person on the other end of Javier Cruz's phone call?"
Celeste folded her arms.
"I called him, yes."
"Why?"
"Because I was concerned about my nephew."
"You asked him to get Leo away from his father?"
"I asked him to remove a frightened child from a volatile situation."
Dante took one step toward her.
Detective Reeves raised a hand.
"Mr. Moretti."
He stopped.
Celeste watched him carefully.
She wanted him angry.
The realization was immediate.
So Dante let his shoulders relax.
"Ask her," he said, "why the house security system lost its garden camera feed at 3:42."
Celeste blinked.
Only once.
But Dante saw it.
The estate's security system covered every exterior entrance. Earlier that afternoon, Javier had told staff one camera hub was undergoing maintenance.
Dante had not cared.
Now he did.
Detective Reeves made a note.
"Who controls that system?"
Dante looked at Javier.
"He does."
Javier said, "Routine maintenance."
"During a fifty-person event?" Reeves asked.
Javier shrugged.
"Bad timing."
Officer statements began accumulating.
Margaret Hale had seen Javier grab Leo.
A caterer had seen Mia fall.
Two guests claimed they had only witnessed Dante taking Javier to the ground.
One board member, Charles Delaney, went further.
"I saw Mr. Moretti acting aggressively before the incident."
Dante stared at him.
"When?"
Charles adjusted his cuff.
"Near the west terrace."
"I was talking about property taxes with you."
"You were agitated."
"Because you suggested selling a hotel my family has owned for forty years."
Charles looked toward Detective Reeves.
"That's the volatility Celeste mentioned."
Dante understood.
This gathering had been seeded with witnesses.
Not necessarily liars.
People prepared to interpret everything in the worst possible way.
Leo came running back.
"Dad."
Dante caught him around the shoulders.
"You okay?"
Leo nodded, but Dante could feel him shaking.
Mia pressed against Dante's other side.
Detective Reeves walked over.
"Their accounts are consistent."
Javier's attorney had not yet arrived.
That mattered.
So did Margaret's call.
Reeves ordered Javier placed under arrest for battery and endangering a child pending review by the state's attorney.
Javier's face twisted.
"This is insane."
Dante held the black smartphone out to Reeves.
"This fell from his pocket. I answered a call on it. Celeste was on the other end. There's also a message on the lock screen."
Celeste stepped forward.
"Detective, that device belongs to Javier."
"Then he can tell me whether he consents to us taking it."
Javier looked at Celeste.
She gave him nothing.
He looked at Dante.
For a moment Dante saw naked panic.
Then Javier said, "Take it."
Celeste's expression changed.
Barely.
But enough.
Reeves placed the phone in an evidence bag.
Celeste whispered, "Idiot."
Dante heard her.
"So you're worried about what's on it."
"I'm worried about you destroying this family over a misunderstanding."
"Where is Leo's tablet?"
"I have no idea."
Leo tugged Dante's sleeve.
"She knows."
Celeste turned toward him.
"Leo, you need to stop making accusations."
Dante stepped between them.
"No. You need to stop intimidating an eight-year-old."
Mia looked up.
"Aunt Celeste's helper took it."
Everyone stopped.
Dante crouched again.
"What helper?"
"The lady with the silver shoes."
Celeste said, "Sloane?"
Mia nodded.
Sloane Mercer was Celeste's executive assistant.
Dante scanned the garden.
She was gone.
He looked toward the circular driveway.
So was the black company SUV she had arrived in.
Dante pulled out his phone and called estate security.
A junior guard answered.
"Mr. Moretti?"
"Lock the front gate."
A pause.
"Sir, Ms. Mercer left about ten minutes ago."
"Did anyone inspect her vehicle?"
"Javier told us not to stop executives."
Dante closed his eyes.
Too late.
Detective Reeves heard enough.
"We'll contact her."
Celeste smiled thinly.
"Over a child's tablet?"
"Over potential evidence connected to an assault on a child."
That smile vanished.
Within an hour, Javier had been driven away.
The garden emptied.
Guests slipped out without saying goodbye.
The expensive food remained untouched beneath silver covers.
Leo and Mia sat together on the terrace couch.
Dante brought them inside himself.
In the family room, Mia whispered, "Are they going to take us?"
Dante stopped.
"Who told you that?"
"Aunt Celeste."
"When?"
"Yesterday."
Leo stared at his sister.
"You didn't tell me."
"She said Daddy might have to go somewhere."
Dante knelt.
"What exactly did she say?"
Mia's lower lip trembled.
"She said sometimes judges decide daddies aren't safe."
Dante's blood went cold.
"When did she say that?"
"In the kitchen. She told me not to worry because she'd look after us."
Leo suddenly stood.
"She planned this!"
Dante pulled him back gently.
"Leo."
"She did!"
"I know you're angry."
"You're not angry?"
Dante looked toward the dark windows.
"I am."
More than they could understand.
But rage was exactly what someone wanted from him.
His phone rang.
It was Moretti Meridian's board chairman, Charles Delaney.
Dante answered.
Charles did not bother with a greeting.
"The board is convening tomorrow morning."
"For what?"
"An emergency review of your fitness to continue as chief executive."
Dante's grip tightened.
"Based on what?"
"Today wasn't the first concern."
Dante looked at Leo and Mia.
"What other concerns?"
Charles hesitated.
Then said, "Celeste gave us documentation."
Dante's voice dropped.
"What documentation?"
"Reports claiming you've become unstable around your children."
Dante looked across the room at the framed photograph of Isabel holding Leo as a toddler.
May you like
The party attack had lasted less than three minutes.
The campaign against him had apparently been running much longer.
