Chapter 4 - Whispers in the Wainscoting
Norah was moved that night into a private guest suite situated on the second floor of the west wing.
The room was larger than the entire two-bedroom tenement apartment she had shared with her mother.
It featured a king-sized four-poster bed, silk draperies, and an en-suite bathroom lined with polished jade stone.
Yet Norah did not sleep.
She spent the dark hours pacing the thick woolen rug, staring at the locked oak door.
When the sun finally crept over the frost-covered hills, Mrs. Gable arrived with an armful of tailored clothing.
There were no gray uniforms in the stack.
Instead, Mrs. Gable laid out tailored black trousers, a charcoal cashmere sweater, and flat leather boots.
""Mr. Russo requested these from the city tailor,"" Mrs. Gable whispered, her eyes refusing to meet Norah's gaze.
""Mrs. Gable,"" Norah said softly, catching the older woman’s wrist.
""Are you angry with me?""
Mrs. Gable paused, her lips trembling slightly as she looked around the luxurious bedroom.
""I have seen six girls think they were special in this house, child,"" Mrs. Gable said in a hushed, strained voice.
""Every single one of them ended up in a pine box or floating in the river.""
""The Russos do not have friends; they have tools that they use until the edges go dull.""
Before Norah could respond, Mrs. Gable slipped out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her.
Norah dressed quickly in the warm, well-fitted clothes.
She felt ridiculous wearing cashmere that cost more than two months of her previous salary, but the boots fit her feet perfectly.
When she stepped out into the second-floor gallery, she found Carmine waiting near the banister.
The lieutenant had bags under his bloodshot eyes, his leather coat reeking of stale tobacco and gun oil.
""Well, look at the queen of the scullery,"" Carmine sneered, blocking her path toward the central staircase.
""Enjoying the high life, Norah?""
Norah stopped three feet away from him, keeping her chin level and her hands resting loosely at her sides.
""I'd enjoy it more if people stopped pointing rifles through the dining room windows, Mr. Varga,"" she replied evenly.
Carmine’s jaw clenched, his hand twitching toward the heavy signet ring on his pinky finger.
""You think you're clever because you threw a lucky punch?"" Carmine leaned in, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper.
""You don't belong in this wing.""
""Girls from the Southside who try to play games with kings usually end up swallowed by the current.""
Norah did not flinch, but her eyes locked onto his hands.
Whenever Carmine spoke under pressure, his left thumb rhythmically rubbed against his gold wristwatch cufflink.
It was an involuntary, nervous tick—the exact movement a man makes when he is waiting for a bomb to explode.
""Is that what happened to the last people who disappointed you, Carmine?"" she asked quietly.
Carmine opened his mouth to deliver another threat, but the heavy door of Daniel's study swung open down the hall.
Daniel stepped into the corridor, wearing a pristine midnight-blue suit with an open collar.
The faint purple bruise on his jaw was visible above his collar, but his posture was as rigid as iron.
""Carmine,"" Daniel called out, his voice echoing along the wood-paneled walls.
Carmine stepped back instantly, smoothing down the front of his jacket with an obsequious grin.
""Boss. I was just checking on our new guest.""
""The tactical sweep of the northern ridge is complete?"" Daniel asked, ignoring the lie entirely.
""We found the shooter's nest,"" Carmine reported, hurrying down the hallway toward him.
""He used a brass-catcher, so no shell casings were left behind.""
""He had snowshoes, cut through the perimeter fence at post nine, and hopped into an unmarked van on Route Seven.""
""He vanished into thin air.""
Daniel nodded slowly, his face giving away nothing.
""Come into the monitoring room, both of you,"" Daniel commanded.
The security monitoring room was located behind a concealed panel in Daniel's private office.
Dozens of high-definition monitors displayed real-time footage of every corridor, fence line, and roadway on the property.
Daniel pulled up the playback footage from the foyer cameras recorded during yesterday's ambush.
On the screen, the timestamp read 17:44:12.
The digital recording showed Daniel stepping through the front doors, followed by Carmine.
Norah watched herself kneeling on the floor with the scrub brush, looking small and insignificant against the vast marble hall.
""Watch the angles,"" Daniel instructed, slowing the playback speed down by half.
On the monitor, Carmine pulled out his phone, glanced at the screen, and took two deliberate steps to his right.
He placed his bulky torso directly behind a two-foot-thick load-bearing marble pillar.
The movement put Carmine completely out of the line of fire from the northern bay window.
Daniel, meanwhile, remained standing in the open center of the foyer, unbuttoning his coat.
Norah leaned closer to the illuminated monitor, pointing her bandaged finger at the screen.
""Look at his feet,"" Norah said quietly, speaking before Carmine could interject.
""He didn't stumble, and he wasn't looking for a light switch.""
""He moved behind the pillar five seconds before the red beam entered the room.""
Carmine’s face turned bright red with sudden, violent fury.
""Are you out of your mind?!"" Carmine yelled, taking a menacing step toward Norah.
""I was checking a text from the dock foremen! I stepped aside so I wouldn't track slush onto the rug!""
""You stepped behind the only piece of solid masonry between the front door and the courtyard, Carmine,"" Norah countered, holding his furious glare.
""And you kept your eyes on the floor until the glass blew apart.""
""Shut your lying mouth!"" Carmine snarled, raising a heavy fist.
Daniel caught Carmine’s wrist in mid-air with lightning speed.
The mob boss’s grip was so tight that Carmine’s fingers immediately turned white from cut-off circulation.
""In this room, Carmine, nobody raises a hand unless I give the order,"" Daniel said, his voice dropping to a deathly whisper.
Carmine swallowed hard, his arrogance melting into sheer, suffocating terror.
""Boss... you've known me for fifteen years,"" Carmine pleaded.
""My father served your father.""
""I would never bring a hit inside your own home.""
Daniel held Carmine’s wrist for three agonizing seconds before releasing it with a contemptuous shove.
""The docks at Pier Forty-Two are scheduled for a full inventory audit at noon,"" Daniel said coldly.
May you like
""You will accompany us, Carmine.""
""And if there is a single discrepancy in the shipping manifests, we will finish this conversation in the harbor.""
