She was trying to finish the housekeeping work so her mother wouldn't lose her job, unaware of the horror hidden behind my bookcase.

"Don't move, Marco," I said, my voice dropping into an icy register that caused the air in the room to freeze.

Marco didn't drop the tire iron immediately. His six-foot-four frame blocked the secondary door leading to the courtyard. His dark eyes, usually cold and unreadable, were filled with a desperate, chaotic panic.

"Roman..." Marco choked out, his voice rough as gravel. "You weren't supposed to be back from Providence until 4:00 AM."

"I finished early," I replied, my weapon locked onto the center of his chest. "Put the iron down, Marco. Before I put two rounds through your kneecaps."

Clara dropped the suture needle onto the tray with a loud metal clatter. She backed away toward the corner of the room, her small frame shaking violently, her thin hands pressed over her mouth as she stared at me as if I were a demon raised from hell.

"Roman... please," Clara whimpered, her voice raspy from years of disuse. "Don't hurt Grace. She was only trying to help me... she was bringing me medicine..."

I didn't take my eyes off Marco. "Why is my dead sister-in-law bleeding in my infirmary, Marco? And why did you strike Grace Harper with an iron bar?"

"She was going to tell you!" Marco yelled, his voice cracking under the pressure. "The housekeeper found out three days ago! She heard Clara coughing behind the study wall while she was dusting the mahogany shelves! She caught me bringing food up the service lift!"

"You've been keeping her hidden here for seven years?" I demanded, taking one step forward. "Under my roof? While I paid for Julian’s funeral? While I spent millions searching for his killers?"

"Julian isn't dead, Roman!" Clara shrieked from the corner, tears streaming down her pale, hollow cheeks.

The sentence hung in the air like a butcher's blade suspended over a block.

I froze. "What did you say?"

"Julian isn't dead!" Clara repeated, her voice rising into an agonizing sob. "He didn't die in the river! He built this room! He locked me in here seven years ago to keep me from telling you the truth about what he did in Providence!"