Chapter 6 - The Confetti Puzzle
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Emma quickly stood up, grabbing her feather duster just as Silas Vance pushed the door open.
The accountant looked frantic, his tie loosened and his sparse hair unkempt. When he saw Emma, he froze, his eyes darting immediately to the paper shredder under his desk.
“What are you doing in my office?” Silas demanded, his voice cracking slightly.
“Just the daily cleaning, Mr. Vance,” Emma said smoothly, forcing a polite, vapid smile onto her face. She leaned into her plus-size, harmless maid persona. “I’m sorry if I disturbed you. I can come back later if you need to work.”
Silas stared at her, sweat beading on his pale forehead. He looked at the trash can, then at her cleaning cart.
“Did you touch anything on my desk?” he snapped.
“Oh, no, sir! I know the rules. I just dusted the bookshelves and emptied the bins.”
Silas exhaled a shaky breath, clearly relieved. He waved his hand dismissively.
“Fine. Just finish up and get out. I have a lot of work to do.”
“Right away, sir.”
Emma quickly finished dusting and pushed her cart out into the hallway, her pulse racing.
That night, in the privacy of her small servant’s quarters in the attic, Emma locked her door and dumped the plastic bag of shredded paper onto her narrow bed.
There were perhaps fifty thin strips of thick, textured paper.
She spent three hours treating the strips like a microscopic jigsaw puzzle, using a pair of tweezers to align the jagged edges. Her back ached, and her eyes burned from squinting at the faint blue ink, but slowly, fragments of words began to form.
...transfer confirmed...
...Falcone...
...midnight Thursday...
Emma’s breath hitched. Falcone.
The Falcone family was the Blackwoods’ oldest and most vicious rival. They controlled the narcotics trade on the south side of the city. If money was being transferred from Victor’s accounts to the Falcones, it meant someone in the financial wing was actively funding a war against their own boss.
Emma pulled out the black encrypted phone Marco had given her. She took a deep breath and pressed speed dial two.
May you like
Victor answered on the first ring.
“Tell me,” he commanded.
