Her response hits me like a punch in the gut. “Valerio Neri?”
She nods. “He’s…”
“We know who he is,” Dominic interrupts. “How did you wind up with a guy like that?”
“I don’t know. He was standing outside of the office one day when I was leaving. He started talking to me and we exchanged numbers. He said he could help me. He had connections.” She looks down at her hands. “He knew I was struggling to pay my rent and he said I could stay here.”
“So he pays all the bills in the penthouse in return for you being his mistress,” Dominic states.
“It wasn’t like that. At first I didn’t know who he was. He was charming. He made me feel seen,” Rachel protests.
I nod. “That’s Valerio. He makes you feel like a queen while he’s being dishonest behind your back. How long have you been seeing him?”
“A few months. Then I found out he was dating other women but there was nothing I could do. I need him to pay my bills. He gave me a thousand dollars to try to get into the party and cause a distraction. He said he needed to talk to some important people at the party and if I made a scene that would give him time.”
Dominic looks at me. We’re both thinking the same thing. Rachel was the distraction that Valerio needed to climb through my bathroom window and shoot me from the balcony.
“Who were the people he needed to talk to?” I ask.
“He didn’t say. I know better than to ask questions. He never mentioned your name though.”
“Did you see Valerio that night?”
Rachel pauses. “Yes. I dropped him off a couple of houses away and then when I was escorted to my car, I picked him up outside of the compound. He was waiting for me. Then we went back to my place.”
I grip the back of the chair. “Did he have a gun on him?”
“I don’t know. He keeps a lot of secrets from me like all the women he has been sleeping with behind my back.”
“Is one of them Elaine Lane?” Dominic interjects.
She looks at him. “Of course. Valerio visits Elaine a lot when Ambrose is at work. I had to stop by one day to deliver something to her and I saw them through the windows.”
“He’s using you like a pawn.” My gaze sweeps to the windows and I freeze.
There on the sill is a chess board.
It’s not my father’s.
This one is made of ebony and carved from wood.
All the pieces are on the board except for the king, a rook, and a bishop that sit on the side.
“You play chess?”
Rachel shakes her head. “No, Valerio does. He’s obsessed. He’s always talking about strategy. Many nights when I’m watching TV, he will play against himself. He tried to teach me but I can’t play to save my life.”
My stomach is churning, and I give Dominic a look that sayswe need to get out of here.
Dominic gives Rachel a smile. “Thank you for your time, Miss Evans. We won’t bother you anymore.”
She follows us to the door.
I turn to her as we head out. “If you know what’s good for you, you won’t tell a soul we were here. Things will get really bad for you if you do.”
She doesn’t reply and instead slams the door in our faces.
The elevator ride to the lobby is silent.
