Hazy Shade of Winter [ON HOLD FOR NOW]

06

Adriana, who was doing some ballet stretches, heard rustling outside her window.

She opened the shutters and frowned, seeing Klaus rifling through the dumpster.

"Do I want to know?" Adriana asked.

Klaus glanced up at her. "You haven't seen a pearl inlay ornate box, have you?"

She shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Perhaps it was stolen?"

"I hope not. Pogo's gonna be angry."

There was a pounding on her door and she turned to see Diego. "What?"

"I'm not even gonna ask," Diego said. "Luther thinks he found something. You're not family, but you're getting to be a friend. Come on."

He led her into the drawing room and they stood in front of a monitor.

Adriana frowned. "What is this?"

Diego glanced at her. "Luther thinks my mom killed my dad."

Adriana turned to face Luther. "Tell me you don't think that."

He glared at her and played the clip. She watched as Grace stood over their father's bed, watching as he died.

"Do you really think Mom would hurt Dad?" Vanya asked from the back.

Adriana shook her head. "No, I don't believe she would. She's a kind soul... Sort of."

Luther looked between Vanya and Adriana. "You haven't been home in a long time, Vanya. You haven't been here long, Adriana. Maybe you don't know Grace anymore. Adriana, you barely know Grace."

"You have get to speak to me like that, Monkey Man. You're right. I barely know your mother, but that doesn't excuse your comment. You speak to me that way again, the chill will be far worse than a sassing quip."

Vanya smiled softly at Adriana, grateful to have someone who argued with Luther's words. Diego smiled at her, impressed. To him, it seemed she and Five were well-suited.

Diego frowned. "If he was poisoned, it would have shown on the coroner's report."

Luther shot his brother a look. "Well, I don't need a report to tell me what I can see with my own eyes."

Diego smirked scoffingly. "Maybe all that low gravity in space messed with your vision." He stepped closer to the screen and pointed. "Look closer. Dad has his monocle. Mom stands up. Monocle's gone."

"Oh, yeah!" Klaus exclaimed with a laugh as he ate from a bag of chips.

"She wasn't poisoning him. She was taking it. To clean it."

Adriana glanced up at Diego and frowned. "While I doubt that Grace killed your father, that's a piss poor argument. Where is it?"

"What makes you think I did anything?"

Luther frowned. "Like she asked, then where is it? I've searched the house, including her things. She doesn't have it."

"That's because I took it from her. After the funeral."

Allison glared at him. "You've had the monocle this whole time? What the hell, Diego?"

"Give it to me," Luther ordered.

"I threw it away," Diego answered.

"You what?"

Diego pointed a knife at Luther. "Look. I knew that if I found it on Mom, you'd lose your shit, just like you're doing now."

Luther stepped menacingly towards Diego and raised his fists. Vanya and Adriana stepped between them before they could do anything.

"Look; I know Dad wasn't exactly an open book. But I do remember one thing he said. Mom was, well, designed to be a caretaker, but also a protector," Vanya said.