POISON IN THE EMERALD HALLS

Julian stood in the doorway, the cold salt air whipping through the cracked metal panels. The flickering amber flame of the kerosene lamp cast long, grotesque shadows across the concrete floor. Seeing Victor alive was like peering into a warped mirror: the same sharp jawline, the same steel-colored eyes, but hardened by an unmistakable, feral cruelty.

""You let us bury an empty coffin,"" Julian said, his voice deceptively calm despite the tempest raging inside his chest.

Victor let out a dry, rasping laugh that ended in a cough. ""A coffin full of stones and ashes, little brother. It bought me time. It bought me fifty million dollars from the offshore accounts before the SEC could freeze them. Mother thought of that little theatrical production. She always did love drama.""

""And Clara?"" Julian took a slow, deliberate step forward, his hand resting inside his coat pocket. ""Was poisoning my wife her idea, or yours?""

Victor flicked the cigarette butt into a puddle on the floor. It hissed and died in the darkness. ""Clara was a mistake from the beginning. You were supposed to marry an empty-headed socialite who signed whatever papers Mother put in front of her. Instead, you married an auditor’s daughter who couldn't stop digging into the family trusts. She found the trail to this warehouse weeks ago.""

""She protected me,"" Julian murmured. ""While you and Mother plotted to bleed the company dry.""

""Protected you?"" Victor sneered, standing up to his full height. He was taller than Julian remembered, his coat stained with grease and salt. ""She was stalling for time, Julian! She wanted to run away with half the estate! But Mother handled it. Just a little antimony every day in her tea. Enough to keep her in a wheelchair, too weak to speak to the board. But today, the idiot tried to escape with the ledger. Mother had to expedite the dosage.""

""Clara is fighting for her life in ICU,"" Julian spat, the pistol slipping firmly into his grasp beneath his coat. ""And Mother will spend the rest of her days in a state penitentiary.""