Chapter 32 Kill her
Flora
The estate was burning when we arrived.
Smoke billowed from the west wing.
Fire trucks surrounded the property.
Ambulances lined the driveway.
People were everywhere. Guards running with fire extinguishers. Staff evacuating with whatever they could carry. It was pure chaos.
Rafael barely stopped the car before jumping out. I followed, my heart pounding.
"What happened?" he demanded, grabbing the nearest guard by the shoulder.
"Explosion, sir. Someone planted a bomb in the west wing. It went off about thirty minutes ago."
"Are there casualties?"
The guard's face was grim. "Three dead so far. Seven injured. We're still searching the rubble."
Rafael's face went pale. "Who's dead?"
"Two guards, sir. And..." The guard hesitated, his eyes darting away.
"And who?" Rafael's voice was deadly quiet.
"And Father Matthews, sir. He was visiting you today. He was in the west wing when it happened."
The blood drained from Rafael's face. He staggered backward like he'd been physically struck.
"No," Rafael whispered. "No, not Father Matthews."
"I'm so sorry, sir. The medics said it was instant. He didn't suffer."
Rafael turned away, his whole body shaking. I could see him struggling to maintain control.
Father Matthews had baptized him as a child. The man who'd married him and Eva. Who'd held him when he wept at Eva's funeral.
I’d read it in Eva’s diary.
"Where's Marco?" Rafael asked, his voice trembling.
"We don't know, sir. No one's seen him since before the explosion."
"Find him!" Rafael roared, his composure shattering. "Search every inch of this property! I want Marco found now!"
Guards scattered in all directions.
I grabbed Rafael's arm gently.
"Rafael, we need to think about this. Diego said the Architect was executing their final phase. This explosion... Father Matthews being killed... it can't be a coincidence."
"What are you saying?"
"Father Matthews lived near San Marco Cathedral. Near those church bells Diego mentioned. What if he knew something? And the Architect killed him to keep him quiet?"
Rafael's jaw clenched. "Father Matthews was a holy man. He wouldn't have been involved in something like this."
"I'm not saying he was involved. I'm saying he might have known something. Seen something. Heard something in confession, maybe."
"Priests don't break the seal of confession."
"But what if he was going to and that's why they killed him?"
Rafael looked at the burning wing of his home, he looked tortured.
"We need to check the files again," I said. "There might be something we missed."
I ran back to the car and grabbed my laptop. Rafael followed, his movements mechanical, like he was operating on autopilot.
I pulled up the flash drive files and started searching.
"There's no mention of him," I said, in frustration.
"Then maybe it's not connected."
"Or maybe..." I scrolled deeper into the directory. "Maybe the connection was deleted."
I found it.
A file labeled Confessional Records that had been wiped clean.
"Look at this," I showed Rafael. "This file was deleted remotely. Less than an hour ago."
"Who has access to delete files remotely?"
"Anyone with the right credentials. But look at the timestamp. It was deleted while we were both away from the estate."
Rafael's face hardened. "So someone here deleted evidence, then killed Father Matthews."
"And they knew we'd be gone. They planned this perfectly."
Before we could say more, a guard ran up, his face urgent.
"Sir! We found Marco!"
"Where?" Rafael was already moving.
"In the basement. He's alive, but... you need to see this yourself, sir."
We followed the guard into the house, past overturned furniture and broken glass. Down the stairs into the basement.
The door was ajar. Inside, I could see Marco tied to a chair, his head was hanging forward.
Rafael rushed to him. "Marco! Marco, can you hear me?"
Marco's head lifted slowly. His face was bloody, one eye swollen shut. His shirt was torn, revealing bruises across his ribs.
"Boss..." His voice was weak, and raspy. "Boss, I tried..."
"Who did this to you?" Rafael was already working on the ropes. "What happened?"
"They came... right after you left..."
Marco winced as Rafael pulled at the bindings. "Three of them. Maybe four. I couldn't... there were too many..."
"Did you see their faces?"
"They were all wearing masks." Marco's good eye focused on me, then back to Rafael. "They were looking for something. They tore the place apart. When I tried to stop them..."
The ropes came free. Marco slumped forward and Rafael caught him.
"Easy," Rafael said. "Don't move too fast. You might have broken ribs."
"The explosion," Marco coughed. "Was it...?"
"Father Matthews is dead," Rafael said quietly.
Marco's face crumbled. "No. God, no. This is my fault. I should have stopped them."
"This isn't your fault," I said. "They planned this. They knew exactly when to strike."
Marco looked at me, and something in his expression made me pause. It was only there for a second,a flash of something I couldn't quite read. Then it was gone.
"Did they say anything?" Rafael asked. "Anything that might tell us who sent them?"
"No. They didn't speak. They were... efficient and professional like soldiers." Marco tried to stand but collapsed back into the chair. "But there was a symbol on one of their masks."
"What kind of symbol?"
"I don't know. It was dark. But it looked like... like a star. Or maybe a compass. Something with points."
I pulled out my phone and started searching for symbols and organizations. But there were too many possibilities.
"We need to get you to a hospital," Rafael said.
"No." Marco's voice was firm despite his injuries. "No hospitals. It's not safe. The Architect could have people anywhere."
"Marco, you need medical attention."
"I'll survive. But boss, you need to secure the estate. If they got in once, they can get in again. And next time..." Marco's eye found mine again. "Next time they might succeed."
A chill ran down my spine.
"Succeed at what?" I asked.
"At killing her," Marco said, nodding towards me. "Diego was right. This is all about Flora. They want her dead."
Rafael stood up. "Then we should leave. Tonight, take Flora somewhere safe."
"Where?" Marco asked. "Anywhere you go, they'll find you. They have resources and connections. They're always watching."
"Then what do you suggest?"
Marco was quiet for a long moment. "I suggest we fight back. And find them before they find us.
"
"How?" I asked. "We don't even know who they are."
"But we know what they want," Marco said. "They want Flora dead. So we will kill her."
"What?!" Rafael and I exclaimed at once.