Chapter 8 - The Fire Beneath the Roses|
By the time we reached the windows overlooking the south garden, smoke was already rising above the old greenhouse.
Lily screamed.
"Mommy's roses!"
Gabriel immediately turned toward her.
"Stay away from the windows, sweetheart."
But Lily pressed both hands against the glass.
Orange flames flickered behind the greenhouse's weathered panes.
The morning sky had turned gray with smoke.
I knew that building.
It stood at the far edge of the estate, beyond a stone pathway lined with white roses.
Elena had loved it.
After her death, Gabriel had ordered the gardens maintained but rarely visited the greenhouse himself.
Lily had told me countless stories about planting flowers there with her mother.
Now we watched flames move behind the glass.
Daniel spoke urgently into his radio.
"Evacuate the garden staff and keep everyone clear of the structure."
Gabriel looked toward the driveway.
"Fire department?"
"Already dispatched."
I felt Lily grab my hand.
"Natalie, we have to save Mommy's flowers."
I knelt beside her.
"Sweetheart, the firefighters are coming."
"But they'll burn!"
Her voice cracked.
"Mommy planted them!"
Gabriel crouched in front of her.
"Lily, look at me."
She stared at him.
"The flowers matter because they remind us of Mommy."
He swallowed.
"But you matter more than anything in that greenhouse."
Lily began crying.
Gabriel held her.
"I know it's hard."
He kissed her forehead.
"But I am not letting you near that fire."
I looked at him with quiet admiration.
Yesterday, he might have responded by telling a servant to take Lily away.
Today, he knelt beside her and explained why she needed to stay safe.
It was a small change.
But I knew how much it mattered.
Daniel returned a few minutes later.
"The fire is contained to the greenhouse, sir."
Gabriel looked relieved.
"Any injuries?"
"None reported."
"Good."
He turned toward me.
"Natalie, would you stay with Lily?"
I nodded.
"Of course."
But Lily grabbed his hand.
"You're not going there, are you?"
Gabriel shook his head.
"Not until the firefighters say it's safe."
She studied his face.
"Promise?"
He nodded.
"Promise."
And he kept it.
We watched from the morning room as emergency vehicles arrived.
Firefighters moved through the garden.
Smoke drifted above the trees.
An hour later, the flames were extinguished.
The greenhouse was badly damaged.
Several windows had shattered.
The roof over the western section had partially collapsed.
But the stone rear wall remained standing.
And so did the rose garden.
Lily wiped her eyes.
"Some of the flowers are okay."
Gabriel looked out.
"Yes, sweetheart."
She leaned against him.
"Maybe Mommy helped them."
Gabriel brushed her hair away from her face.
"Maybe the gardeners did a good job taking care of them."
Lily smiled faintly.
"Mommy would like that."
Later that morning, the fire marshal spoke with Daniel and Gabriel.
I waited nearby while Lily ate toast at the kitchen table.
It was her first real meal since the engagement dinner.
She insisted that Gabriel sit with her.
He did.
He even asked the cook to bring him the same breakfast.
When Lily noticed, she smiled.
For the first time, she wasn't eating alone.
The fire marshal eventually entered the kitchen.
His name was Paul Mercer.
He was a serious-looking man in his fifties with gray hair and tired eyes.
"Mr. Romano, we've identified an area of origin."
Gabriel stood.
"Go on."
"The fire appears to have started near the greenhouse's rear storage room."
Daniel frowned.
"The electrical system?"
Mercer shook his head.
"We haven't established the precise cause yet, but there are suspicious circumstances."
Gabriel's jaw tightened.
"Meaning?"
"The building's exterior lock appears to have been forced."
I felt a chill.
Someone had entered the greenhouse.
Someone who knew the second letter might be there.
Gabriel glanced at Lily.
Then he looked back at Mercer.
"Please tell me what you need from us."
Mercer nodded.
"We'll need access to your security recordings and a complete list of anyone who had keys."
Daniel spoke.
"I'll provide both."
Mercer continued.
"We'll also document the damage before anything is moved."
Gabriel nodded.
"Understood."
I watched his expression.
He was frightened.
Not for himself.
For the possibility that Elena's final message had been destroyed.
Lily suddenly looked up from her toast.
"Daddy?"
Gabriel turned.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Did they burn the star room?"
Mercer glanced at her.
"The what?"
Lily looked uncertain.
Gabriel knelt.
"Can you tell us where it is?"
She nodded.
"Behind the roses."
Mercer frowned.
"There's a stone structure behind the west wall."
Gabriel looked toward Daniel.
Daniel nodded slowly.
"I remember a maintenance alcove there."
Lily shook her head.
"It's not a maintenance room."
She lowered her voice.
"It's Mommy's secret room."
Gabriel smiled gently.
"Can you describe it?"
Lily thought carefully.
"There's a little bench."
She looked toward the ceiling.
"And stars painted on the roof."
I stared.
"Painted stars?"
She nodded.
"Mommy made them glow in the dark."
Gabriel's expression changed.
He looked at Mercer.
"Could that area have survived?"
Mercer considered.
"The stone portion is relatively intact, but nobody should enter until it's assessed."
Gabriel nodded immediately.
"Of course."
Lily tugged his sleeve.
"Can we go when it's safe?"
He smiled.
"Yes."
She looked relieved.
Then she whispered, "Mommy said the stars always lead us home."
Gabriel closed his eyes briefly.
I could tell those words meant something to him.
Later, when Lily went upstairs with the housekeeper to change clothes, Gabriel asked me to join him in the library.
Victor Hale and Marianne Cole were waiting.
The atmosphere was serious.
Marianne had several financial documents spread across the desk.
Victor looked exhausted.
"Gabriel, we have a problem."
Gabriel leaned against the desk.
"Another one?"
Victor nodded.
"Raymond's attorneys have filed an emergency motion seeking to block your control of certain company accounts."
Gabriel stared.
"On what grounds?"
"They claim the disputed authorization remains valid."
Marianne shook her head.
"Even with the original documents?"
Victor sighed.
"They're arguing about authenticity."
I looked between them.
"Can they do that?"
Victor turned toward me.
"They can make the argument."
Gabriel crossed his arms.
"Will it work?"
Victor shook his head.
"I don't believe the documents support their position, but a judge will have to decide any contested questions."
Marianne tapped the table.
"Meanwhile, some of our banking partners have temporarily restricted transactions."
Gabriel nodded.
"Then we cooperate and challenge the claims properly."
I looked at him in surprise.
I had expected anger.
A threat.
Perhaps a phone call to someone powerful.
Instead, he sounded almost relieved to have something concrete to address.
Victor continued.
"There's also the custody issue."
Gabriel went still.
"What about Lily?"
"Cassandra's attorneys have withdrawn the claim that she was an intended guardian."
Gabriel's shoulders relaxed slightly.
Victor held up a hand.
"But Raymond is now alleging you're emotionally unfit to care for your daughter."
The room went silent.
I stared at Victor.
"After what he did?"
Victor looked grim.
"It's a claim, Natalie."
Gabriel's face tightened.
"And Lily?"
"She remains in your care."
Victor continued.
"There's no court order changing that."
Gabriel exhaled.
"Good."
Marianne looked at him.
"Raymond's strategy appears to be creating enough confusion to pressure you into a settlement."
Gabriel smiled without humor.
"He doesn't know me as well as he thinks."
Victor leaned forward.
"Gabriel, listen carefully."
His voice became firm.
"The best thing you can do now is remain calm, cooperate with investigators, and put Lily's welfare first."
Gabriel nodded.
"That's exactly what I intend to do."
I felt a strange warmth in my chest.
This was a different kind of strength.
Not power exercised through fear.
Power exercised through restraint.
Then Daniel entered.
"Mr. Romano, the fire marshal has cleared the stone annex for inspection with an escort."
Gabriel stood immediately.
"The star room?"
Daniel nodded.
"The structure appears stable."
Victor raised an eyebrow.
"You're going down there?"
Gabriel looked toward me.
"Yes."
Then he hesitated.
"Natalie, would you come?"
I stared.
"Me?"
He nodded.
"Lily trusts you."
I thought about the little girl upstairs.
"Shouldn't she be there?"
Gabriel shook his head.
"Not until we know what we're going to find."
I agreed.
Together, we walked through the garden.
The air smelled of rain, wet stone, and smoke.
The greenhouse looked heartbreaking.
Its beautiful glass walls were blackened.
Broken panes glittered on the grass.
But the roses along the rear wall remained mostly untouched.
Gabriel stopped beside them.
"Elena planted these herself."
I glanced at him.
"She must have loved this place."
He nodded.
"She said it was the only part of the estate where nobody expected her to be Mrs. Romano."
His expression softened.
"She could simply be Elena."
We followed Mercer toward the stone annex.
Inside, the air was cool.
A narrow passage led to a small circular room.
When Daniel switched on a flashlight, I gasped.
Tiny painted stars covered the ceiling.
A wooden bench stood against the wall.
And beside it was a ceramic flowerpot shaped like a moon.
Gabriel stared at the room.
"I never knew this existed."
I looked around.
There were children's drawings pinned to the wall.
A faded photograph of Elena and Lily.
And a handwritten sign above the bench.
"EVERY STAR HAS A STORY."
I felt tears in my eyes.
Elena had created a world just for her daughter.
A place where Lily could feel special.
Loved.
Safe.
Gabriel approached the bench.
Then he stopped.
Carved into the wood were two initials.
E and L.
Elena and Lily.
He touched them gently.
I turned toward the flowerpot.
Something about it caught my attention.
Unlike everything else, it wasn't covered in dust.
It had recently been moved.
I crouched.
"Natalie?" Gabriel asked.
I pointed.
"The dust doesn't match."
Daniel approached.
He photographed the pot before carefully lifting it.
Beneath it was a small metal compartment set into the stone floor.
Gabriel crouched beside us.
His breathing quickened.
Daniel examined the compartment.
"The cover's been disturbed."
I felt my stomach sink.
Had someone already found the letter?
Daniel lifted the cover.
Inside was a waterproof metal box.
The box was open.
And empty.
Gabriel stared.
"No."
His voice sounded broken.
"No, no."
Then I noticed something.
A small white card remained stuck beneath the edge of the compartment.
I pointed.
"Wait."
Daniel photographed it and carefully removed it.
There was writing on the card.
Not Elena's handwriting.
Someone else's.
Gabriel read it aloud.
"You were never supposed to find this place."
Below the message was a date.
September seventeenth.
The day Elena died.
And beneath the date were three words.
"Ask Thomas Brooks."
My father's name.
I stared at the card.
My entire body turned cold.
Because suddenly, the mystery wasn't only about the Romano family anymore.
May you like
Somehow, my father was connected to Elena's final day.
And I had no idea why.
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