Chapter 6: What Cassandra Knew
Cassandra Vale was moved out of the ICU and into a private room by morning.
By ten o'clock she was sitting up, the oxygen mask gone, a cup of tea cooling on the tray beside her.
The color had not fully returned to her face, but her eyes were clear and her voice, when Julian came in, was steady.
"You look terrible," she said.
"You nearly d*ed at my engagement party." He sat in the chair beside the bed.
"I'm allowed to look terrible."
"It wasn't your engagement party.
It was a charity gala that happened to include an engagement announcement." She looked at him carefully.
"Thomas Bell."
"Yes."
"Did he confess?"
"Fully.
Voluntarily.
He came to the hospital himself."
Cassandra wrapped both hands around the tea cup.
"How long have you known about Claire Arden?"
Julian looked at her.
"Since last night."
"I've known for eight months," Cassandra said.
The room was very still.
"A woman contacted me," she continued.
"She said she had information about a death connected to the DeLuca family.
She sent me a partial copy of a security log — Thomas Bell's access card, a parking structure on the north side, a timestamp from four years ago.
She said she wanted money to stay quiet." Cassandra set the cup down.
"I didn't pay her.
I hired someone to find out who she was and what she actually knew."
"And?"
"Her name is Renata Voss.
She was the person Thomas hired to interfere with Claire's car.
She's been living in Phoenix for four years, apparently under the impression that Thomas would eventually pay her more than he already had.
When he didn't, she decided to find another source of income."
Julian leaned forward.
"Where is she now?"
"My attorney has her contact information.
I was going to bring this to you." Cassandra's voice was precise and controlled.
"I was trying to confirm the full picture first.
I did not want to hand you a partial truth about something this significant."
"You were investigating a possible murd3r connected to my family and you didn't tell me."
"I was protecting you from a partial truth that could have sent you after the wrong person." She met his eyes.
"I know how you respond when someone you love has been hurt, Julian.
I've seen it.
I needed to be certain before I handed you a name."
Julian stood and walked to the window.
The Chicago skyline was pale gray under low clouds.
"The child," Cassandra said quietly.
"Lily."
"Yes."
"She's yours."
"Yes."
Cassandra was silent for a moment.
"I knew that too.
Not from the dance — I didn't know about the bluebird turn, I didn't know what it meant.
But I looked at her face when she was dancing and I felt something I couldn't explain.
I thought I was being irrational." She paused.
"I wasn't being irrational."
Julian turned around.
"Cassandra—"
"Don't." Her voice was gentle but firm.
"Don't apologize for something that happened before me.
Claire Arden was not a betrayal.
She was your life before I entered it." She looked at her hands.
"What I want to know is what you need from me now."
"I don't know yet."
"That's honest." She looked up.
"The engagement."
Julian held her gaze.
"I think we both know last night changed things."
"It changed everything," she agreed.
"But not because of Lily.
Because of what I saw in your face when you understood who she was." Cassandra's voice did not waver.
"You looked the way I have never been able to make you look.
In two years.
Not once."
The silence between them was not angry.
It was the silence of two intelligent people arriving at the same conclusion from different directions.
"You deserve someone who looks at you that way," Julian said.
"I know I do." She almost smiled.
"I'm going to be fine, Julian.
I'm going to be furious for a while and then I'm going to be fine." She reached for the tea again.
"Send Renata Voss's information to Detective Harlan.
She's a material witness.
She needs to be found before she decides Phoenix is no longer safe enough."
Julian moved toward the door.
"One more thing," Cassandra said.
He stopped.
May you like
"That little girl danced like she was sending a message to someone who needed to receive it." Cassandra looked at him steadily.
"Make sure she knows it arrived."
