Chapter 10 - Blood and Ink
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By noon the next day, Marco’s team had assembled the final piece of our puzzle.
Enzo walked into the study carrying a small silver voice recorder and a manila envelope stamped with the seal of the Cook County District Attorney’s office.
"We got him, Boss," Enzo said, setting the recorder on the desk. "Dr. Vance cracked after twenty minutes in a room with Salvatore. He gave up everything."
Marco pressed play on the recorder.
A raspy, panicked voice filled the room. It was Dr. Vance, my mother’s personal physician.
"I didn't have a choice!" Vance was screaming on the tape. "Charlotte had records of my offshore accounts! She forced me to write the prescriptions for the sedatives! She told me if I didn't verify Jane's medical fragility on the insurance forms, she'd ruin my practice!"
"And the handoff?" Enzo’s cold voice asked on the recording. "Who arranged the hit?"
"Charlotte did!" Vance sobbed. "She paid a broker named Miller to deliver Jane to Duca’s men! She explicitly told Miller that Jane wasn't supposed to survive the night! She said, 'Make sure Marco understands she’s collateral that needs to be disposed of!'"
The recording ended with a sharp burst of static.
I sat motionless, listening to my mother's voice echoed through the doctor's confession. Hearing it laid out so plainly—so cold, so transactional—did something strange to my heart.
The last remnant of fear inside me simply snapped.
I didn't feel weak anymore. I didn't feel like the sick girl in the bed or the terrified captive on the floor of the garage.
I looked at Marco. "Is the dress ready?"
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Marco looked back at me, a proud, sharp light dancing in his dark eyes.
"It's waiting in your room," he said.
