The grand entrance hall of the Moretti townhouse smelled of floor wax, polished mahogany, and an underlying scent that I recognized all too well from hospital corridors: stale grief.

"Sarah," I said, forcing my voice to remain dead level despite the thunderous beating of my heart. "What are you doing here? You were fired from Il Verano last night."

Sarah walked into the nursery, her soft rubber-soled shoes making no sound against the thick carpet. She set the silver tray down on the small children's table near the window. Her smile was completely empty, her eyes cold and calculating.

"I didn't need that restaurant job anyway, Maya," Sarah said softly, turning to face me. "I only worked there to monitor Don Moretti’s schedule when he took the boy out. But when you ruined everything last night by calming Leo down, Don Antonio decided it was time to clean up loose ends."

She looked over at Leo, who was staring at her with wide, terrified eyes, backing away under his wooden teepee.

"Don Antonio hired you?" I asked, taking a step toward the door, positioning my body between Sarah and Leo.

"Antonio pays much better than Il Verano," Sarah chuckled, reaching into her apron pocket. "He promised me two million dollars once Ricardo is indicted for murder and Antonio takes over the estate. All I had to do was slip a few drops of thallium into Elena's tea every night. It was so easy, Maya. She was so weak, so trusting."

"You poisoned a mother in her own home," I whispered, disgust burning in my throat.

"And now," Sarah said, pulling a small silver syringe from her apron, "I’m going to finish the job. A high dose of potassium chloride into the little boy's milk. He’ll suffer cardiac arrest within two minutes. The doctors will say his heart finally gave out from the grief and stress. And Ricardo will be arrested before the sun sets for negligence and murder."

"You're a monster," I hissed.

"I'm a businesswoman who knows how to survive in New York," Sarah snapped, her face twisting into a mask of pure malice. "Now step away from the boy, Maya. Or I’ll put this needle into your neck first."

She lunged forward with surprising speed, the silver needle glittering under the nursery lights.

I didn't hesitate. I threw the heavy wooden chair I had used earlier straight at her knees.

CRASH!

Sarah shrieked as the chair legs slammed into her shins, sending her tumbling onto the sheepskin rug. The silver syringe flew from her hand, skidding across the floor toward the teepee.

"Leo, run!" I screamed, grabbing Sarah by her hair as she tried to scramble up.

Sarah swung her elbow backward, catching me hard across the jaw. Pain exploded in my mouth, the metallic taste of blood filling my tongue, but I refused to let go. I threw my weight over her back, pinning her arms against the rug.

"You bitch!" Sarah screamed, thrashing wildly beneath me.

She managed to roll over, her fingers clawing at my face, leaving deep red scratches along my cheek. She reached out blindly with her left hand, her fingers closing around the brass heavy floor lamp standing beside the armchair.

She lifted the iron base and slammed it against the side of my head.

THUD.

White light flared behind my eyes. The world spun violently, and my grip slackened. I collapsed onto my side on the carpet, paralyzed by a blinding headache, watching helplessly through blurred vision as Sarah pushed herself up, her uniform torn, her hair wild.

She picked up the silver syringe from the floor.

"You should have minded your own business at the restaurant, Maya," Sarah panted, standing over me, her boot resting on my chest, pressing down until I couldn't breathe. "Now you get to watch him die before I kill you."

She turned toward the teepee where Leo was cornered, clutching his broken wooden horse against his chest, crying silently.

Sarah raised the syringe, stepping toward the three-year-old boy.