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“Hey, are the Everharts home?” Daniel asks, looking around.
“I believe Oliver should be back shortly,” I tell him. “Would you like to come in and wait?”
He nods, stepping inside, and I direct him to the parlor.
“Can I get you anything? Maybe coffee?” I offer.
“I’m fine,” Daniel says, tugging at his tie. “No, wait, do you think I could get some water? Is it hot in here? It feels warm.”
“I’ll fetch you a glass,” I say, eyes widening at his odd reaction. Leaving him alone feels like maybe a bad idea, so I hurry, filling a glass with ice and water in the kitchen before bringing it back and pressing it into his hands.
“Thank you,” he says, tipping the glass back and drinking it quickly, letting out a satisfied sigh as he lowers the glass. “I needed that.”
“Can I help you with anything?” I ask, trying to suss out what’s on his mind.
“I brought some information for the Everharts,” he says, looking down at the files he’s got clenched tightly in his hand. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but… since you work closely with them, you should know.”
My brow furrows, and he lifts the files, sitting them on his lap as his knee jiggles. “You’re aware of their… business associations, right?”
I give him a tight-lipped smile. “Yes, I’m aware of how they make their money,” I say with a nod.
“Are you familiar with their uncle?” Daniel presses. I furrow my brow.
“Not really. I mean, I know that they have an Uncle Declan, who isn’t actually their uncle, whom they kind of work for, but I’ve never met him.”
“Right.” Daniel stands up, pacing with the folders tucked under his arm. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, then. You have no association with him,” he continues, as though speaking to himself. “But on the other hand, I don’t want to keep you in the dark when your life might be on the line as well…”
“Daniel, what’s in those files?” I ask, breaking through his ramblings.
“I found evidence that Declan O’Malley may have been the one responsible for Marcus Everhart’s death,” Daniel blurts out.
I gasp, shock settling over me as I process the news. I’ve seen pictures of Declan around the manor, standing next to Marcus. In all the photos, the two of them look thick as thieves and close as brothers. I couldn’t imagine his turning on Marcus like that.
“Are you sure?” I ask, voice soft. I don’t want to draw too much attention to our conversation in case someone is eavesdropping.
Daniel pulls out the folders, opening the first one up for me. He tilts it toward me, showing me a picture that a high-resolution telephoto lens took from far away. It’s a photo of Declan, standing close to another man, a tall man with slicked-back, dark hair.
“Who is that?” I ask.
“That’s Salvatore DeLucci, also known as Sal. He’s Giovanni DeLucci’s right hand-man and his top lieutenant. Oh, and his brother. Now tell me, why is Declan meeting with one of his biggest enemies?”
“Are you sure that they weren’t just trying to intimidate each other?” I ask, understanding Daniel’s anxiety now. Revealing this information would be devastating to the Everharts.
“Here.” Daniel shows me more photos from the same location. Declan is handing some kind of manila folder to Sal in the next, then Sal takes it and pockets it, then they both appear to be looking around before the next photo shows Declan shaking Sal’s hand.
“This was just days before the attack on Shadowvale,” he says, expression serious. “I brought this to show Theo, but it’s difficult. How can I bring them evidence that their uncle likely called for a hit on their father?”
I nod, sympathetic to his plight. “Well, I can help if you want. We can find a way to break the news to them together.” I may not be their girlfriend or their mistress or anything, but I feel that we’ve at least established a connection, which will help in breaking the news.
As we wait, the grandfather clock in the hall ticks along, the only noise in the room. It’s as though we don’t know what to say to each other after this revelation. I watch as Daniel checks his phone for the time a few times in a row before he stands up with a sigh.
“I can’t stay,” he says, looking almost mournful about it. “But this information needs to get to them quickly. There’s no time to waste.”
“I’ll give them the files,” I tell him, standing up and offering out my arms. Daniel looks at me in surprise, but his phone begins to ring.
“Are you sure about that?” he asks. “Are you certain you want to get involved with this?”
“I’m already involved just by knowing about it,” I point out to him. “And it would be better coming from me, anyway. I know the risk to your friendship is high if you tell them, but I’m just the maid.”
