We feast on beef Wellington for the main course, and I listen to their idle chatter as Mom quizzes Tiffany about life at Canton House. I’m aware that she also went there along with Sister Agatha Maria, and at the mention of her old friend, Mom says gushingly, “Tell me how my dear friend is. I haven’t seen her for years.”
“She’s good, thank you, Mrs. Ravera. She is the kindest woman I have ever met.”
“She is, most definitely.” Mom agrees, and I note her foot tapping under the table, courtesy of her reflection in the mirror behind her.
Mom is hiding something.
“Please excuse me.”
I push away from the table without offering any explanation, leaving the two women to chat and as I head out of the room, I note Spencer chatting with mom’s bodyguard, Pedro, a Spanish assassin who has worked for our family for as many years as I can remember.
At the sight of me, Spencer shifts off the bar and heads to my side, and we head out into the corridor.
I whisper, “I want the guest list of The Lancaster for last week until next week. Trace the names, discover their occupations, and search for any familiar faces or known persons of interest. Tap into the CCTV and question the staff. I want a full report by morning.”
He nods and I add, “Keep this to yourself, but ask a few guarded questions of Pedro, without alerting him in any way.”
“Consider it done.”
I disappear into the men’s restroom, and as I wash my hands, my mind races. Mom, Sister Agatha, Serenity and the keys. Morgan, Enrico, and the three sisters. The apparent suicides and the fact Tiffany’s mom fled, and who the fuck was the man in Morgan’s closet that day? Malik and Eliza blend into the picture, and I wait for it all to fall into place because, as sure as I’m clinically deranged, they are all connected, and I intend on discovering why.
CHAPTER 37
TIFFANY
Iadore Sophia Ravera. She is everything I would want in a mother. When Joseph leaves, she leans forward, and the concern in her smile is unnerving.
“Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I–”
She holds up her hand.
“I’ve had four children, five if you count my husband, and I know when someone is holding back from me.”
She shakes her head. “Is it Joseph? Because if anyone is aware how difficult he can be, it’s me.”
“It’s been a lot to deal with, I’m guessing, and Joseph, well, he doesn’t really let me in.”
Sophia sighs, and I note the pain clouding her eyes.
“He hasn’t told you then.”
She shakes her head, the bitterness in her smile spearing my heart.
“Joseph suffered a great trauma as a teenager and lost his best friend, almost brother, in terrifying circumstances. He has always blamed himself, and nobody can change his mind on that.”
“What happened?”
I’m horrified, and yet Sophia shakes her head sadly. “If he hasn’t told you, then he doesn’t want you to know. I must respect his privacy, Tiffany. I am his mother, after all.”
I’m surprised when she reaches for my hand and leans forward, whispering, “I have every faith in you to get him to open up. None of us have managed it so far, and I’m worried about him.”
Tears well in her eyes as she sniffs, “He is lost, broken inside and full of rage. He is emotionally redundant, and nothing anyone can do or say will change that. He won’t accept it and fights against it, and so I’m sorry to ask, but I was really hoping you could help.”
“He already has a woman for that.”
I can’t disguise the bitterness in my voice, and she raises her eyes.