Kaia Xavier got back from the traffic authority late that afternoon.

She parked the car and climbed out on unsteady legs. The villa was quiet when she stepped inside — almost eerily so. She grabbed one of the maids passing through the hall. "Where's my husband? He's not home?"

"Mr. Holt went to the hospital," the maid answered without missing a beat. "Before he left, he had us start a pot of tonic soup. Said it was for a pregnant woman."

Tonic soup. ...