Chapter 4 - The Poison in the Nursery
Dawn broke over the snow-covered rocks of the Marchetti estate, casting a pale, unforgiving light across the grand library.
Arya stood by the mahogany conference table, her sleeves rolled up, sorting through a stack of digital tablet logs, security camera footage transcripts, and medical charts that Rocco's private security details had scavenged from the hospital and the mansion.
"The toxicology preliminary results are back from our private lab," Rocco said as he walked into the room, holding two cups of black coffee. He handed one to Arya. Her fingers brushed his; his skin was warm, contrasting sharply with the icy aura he projected into the world. "It wasn't a natural allergen. It was a synthesized peptide derivative. Fast-acting. Designed to mimic severe croup before causing total glottic paralysis within twenty minutes."
Arya took a sip of the bitter coffee, her mind racing. "That means everyone administered it didn't just stumble upon it. It's a pharmaceutical-grade compound. It requires access to a restricted medical supply chain or a high-end black-market lab."
"Vanessa," Arya stated aloud, connecting the obvious dots.
"My fiancée has expensive tastes, but she's an interior designer with a cocaine habit and a penchant for designer bags," Rocco replied, sitting across from her. "She wouldn't know a peptide derivative from aspirin. She's greedy, yes, but she isn't smart enough to orchestrate this."
"Then who?"
"That's why you're looking at the security footage from the past forty-eight hours," Rocco said, pointing to the tablet on the table. "Every camera inside and outside the nursery."
For three hours, Arya combed through the video files with the precision she once used during delicate cardiac procedures. She watched the nurses change shifts. She watched Vanessa walk in and out, complaining about the baby's crying. She watched Rocco pacing the floor late at night.
And then, at timestamp 2:14 AM, two nights prior, she saw something small that everyone else had missed.
"Pause there," Arya commanded, leaning close to the screen.
Rocco tapped the screen, freezing the frame.
The permanent night nurse, Mrs. Gable, was standing over the crib. But she wasn't checking Leo's vitals. In her hand, she held a small, unmarked nasal dropper. She tilted Leo's head back and administered a single drop into his saline humidifier tank.
"What is that?" Rocco's voice dropped an octave, turning into a low, lethal growl.
"A slow-release aerosolization mechanism," Arya analyzed rapidly. "If you put the peptide into the humidifier reservoir, it vaporizes slowly every time the machine cycles. That explains why Leo has been fussy, wheezing, and crashing over the past two days—it was building up in his system until it reached a critical threshold tonight."
Rocco stood up so fast his chair crashed backward onto the hardwood floor.
"Bruno!" he roared toward the hallway.
The heavy oak door swung open instantly. "Boss?"
"Where is Mrs. Gable?"
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"She called in sick yesterday afternoon, claiming she had the flu," Bruno said, his eyes widening as he read the fury on Rocco's face. "She hasn't been back at the estate since."
"Find her," Rocco ordered, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white. "Bring her to me. Alive. I want to know who paid her to poison my son."
