Elena was cleared by morning.
Mara found out the way she found out most things in this house; not because anyone told her directly, but because she was always paying attention.
She heard Luca's voice in the corridor just after seven, and caught two words through the door: tray and kitchen.
Twenty minutes later, the same Elena arrived with breakfast. She looked composed, but her eyes were slightly red at the corners, telling she had spent part of the night being questioned and was too proud to show the toll it had taken.
She set the tray down without a word, straightened the cup, and turned to leave.
"Elena," Mara called.
The older woman stopped.
"I'm sorry about what happened yesterday. It wasn't my decision, but I'm sorry it happened."
