Rain smeared the tall glass windows of the Costello estate.

Inside, the silence of the massive house felt heavy and cold.

“You are an employee, Clara,” Arthur had said, not looking up from his mahogany desk. “Easily replaced.”

He had not even looked at me when he spoke.

His hand had remained steady, pouring amber scotch into a crystal glass.

“I need associates who can handle the wet work, not an assistant who worries about the moral fallout,” he added.

That was my reward for five years of cleaning up his bloodstains.

Five years of balancing ledgers that would have sent him to a federal penitentiary.

“Understood, Mr. Costello,” I had replied.

My voice had not trembled.

“Gregory will take over your duties starting tomorrow,” Arthur said, taking a slow sip. “Leave the keys on the desk.”

I had walked out of his office, down the marble hallway, and straight to my quarters in the east wing.

Now, the grandfather clock in the hallway struck two in the morning.

I opened my leather suitcase on the bed.

I did not pack much.

Three dark suits, a pair of flat shoes, and my personal documents.

The rest of the wardrobe belonged to the Costello organization.

I left the silk dresses he bought me hanging in the closet.

They were bribes to keep me quiet, disguised as appreciation.

On the desk sat my black leather planner.

It contained the names of customs officials, dock managers, and city councilmen.

More importantly, it contained the weekly schedule for the harbor shipments.

Arthur believed Gregory, his loyal underboss, could manage the logistics.

I had watched Gregory try to read a basic shipping manifest last Tuesday.

He had squinted at the numbers for ten minutes before asking me to explain them.

“Is this the weight or the price?” Gregory had muttered, rubbing his thick neck.

“It is the container number, Gregory,” I had told him.

Tomorrow morning, three containers of unmarked freight would arrive at Pier 40.

Gregory did not know the harbormaster required a specific cash payoff before sunrise.

He did not know the harbormaster’s name was actually Victor, not the alias listed on the roster.