Chapter 1 - THAT ISN’T MINE
Richard Hale had just finished thanking everyone for coming when Ava Brooks saw Victoria’s hand near his wine.
The dinner occupied almost the entire formal dining room of the Hale estate.
Twenty guests.
Long polished table.
Red wine glowing beneath warm chandelier light.
A charity chairman beside a retired judge.
Two Hale Development executives.
Family friends Richard had known for thirty years.
Nothing about the evening was supposed to become evidence.
Richard raised his glass.
Ava stood two chairs away carrying an empty serving tray.
Then she looked at the wine.
Her expression changed.
She moved instantly.
Her palm struck the side of Richard’s glass.
The stem flew from his fingers.
“Jesus—”
CRASH.
Glass exploded across the polished floor.
Red wine splashed beneath the table.
Richard jerked backward.
Victoria Hale sprang from her seat.
“What the hell did you just do?!”
Ava stared at the shards.
Victoria rushed toward her.
She raised one hand.
Ava caught her wrist.
Knocked it away.
Then slapped Victoria hard across the face.
The crack silenced the room.
Victoria’s head snapped sideways.
She staggered back one step with one hand against her cheek.
Ava immediately moved between her and Richard.
Richard stood.
“Enough.”
Victoria stared at Ava in disbelief.
“You hit me.”
“You were about to hit me.”
Richard looked at both women.
“What is going on?”
Ava pulled out her phone.
Her hands were shaking now.
She opened a video.
Held it toward Richard.
The footage had been recorded less than two minutes earlier.
Victoria stood beside Richard’s chair before the toast.
She glanced toward the guests.
Then removed a small vial from her clutch.
Unscrewed it.
Tilted several drops into Richard’s red wine.
Richard looked from the screen to his daughter.
Ava said:
“I saw her put something in your drink.”
Victoria froze.
Richard took the phone.
Watched again.
The room remained completely silent.
Onscreen, Victoria capped the vial and put it away.
Richard lowered the phone.
“Victoria.”
Her eyes went toward the broken wine glass.
Then back to him.
She opened her clutch.
Removed the same vial.
Richard’s anger sharpened.
“What is that?”
Victoria twisted off the cap.
Before anyone could stop her, she tipped her head back and drank what remained.
Ava moved forward.
“Don’t—”
Victoria swallowed.
She lowered the empty vial.
Nothing happened.
She remained standing.
“It’s only Dad’s heart medication.”
Richard stopped.
Several guests looked toward him.
Ava looked confused.
Then her eyes dropped to the floor.
Red wine spread slowly between the broken pieces of glass.
Something black sat among the shards.
Not glass.
Not food.
Ava took a folded dinner napkin.
Bent carefully.
Picked it up without touching it directly.
A small black capsule.
Richard saw it.
His entire body went still.
Victoria stared.
All the color left her face.
“That…”
She looked at Richard.
Then the capsule.
“That isn’t mine.”
May you like
Richard slowly turned toward the surrounding dinner guests.
No one moved.
