Chapter 5 - The Man Who Was Paid to Protect Her|
Dominic had never believed loyalty could be measured by the number of years a man spent standing beside him.
But he had believed Graham Pike was different.
Graham had protected Dominic's father during the final years of his life.
He had helped carry Vincent home after a childhood accident.
He had attended family funerals, remembered birthdays, and once driven through a blizzard to bring Dominic's mother her medication.
For twelve years, Graham had been more than an employee.
He had been someone Dominic trusted without hesitation.
Now Dominic sat across from Tessa Vale in her downtown office, staring at evidence suggesting that trust had been catastrophically misplaced.
"How certain are we?" he asked.
Tessa pushed a printed report across the desk.
"The access logs are authentic."
"But access doesn't establish who personally used the account."
"We need the forensic review before making accusations."
Dominic studied the dates.
Every few months, someone had searched for Fiona's address, telephone number, and employment records.
The searches had increased during the past six weeks.
The final access had occurred the evening before her collision.
"Why would Graham keep watching her?" Dominic asked.
Tessa folded her hands.
"Perhaps somebody paid him."
"Perhaps he was carrying out instructions from another person."
"Or perhaps the explanation is more complicated than either of us understands."
Dominic looked toward the windows overlooking downtown Chicago.
"I sent her away because Lorenzo Moretti threatened her."
Tessa had known Dominic for years, but this was the first time he had spoken about Fiona openly.
"Did you tell her about the threat?"
"No."
"Did you give her a choice?"
"No."
"Then you controlled her life without letting her understand what was happening."
Dominic flinched.
Tessa continued gently.
"And now you're discovering that somebody else may have been controlling it too."
He stared at the report again.
"What do we do?"
"We preserve everything and contact the investigators."
Dominic nodded.
"Call them."
Tessa looked genuinely surprised.
"You're authorizing me to provide potentially incriminating corporate records?"
"I'm authorizing you to tell the truth."
She held his gaze.
"Once we start, you won't be able to decide where the investigation stops."
Dominic thought of Fiona struggling to breathe in Room 304.
Then he thought of June asking whether the man in her mother's drawing had been nice.
"I already decided too much for other people," he said.
"I'm finished doing that."
By late afternoon, Detective Imani Cole arrived at Tessa's office.
She was a composed woman in her late thirties with a calm voice and an expression that suggested she was rarely impressed by wealth.
She carried a thin folder and declined Dominic's offer of coffee.
"I understand you have information about Fiona Ellis," she said.
Dominic passed her the documents.
Cole examined the access logs without revealing what she thought.
"Ms. Ellis was traveling to meet a federal prosecutor when she was attacked," she finally said.
Dominic leaned forward.
"So the collision was deliberate?"
"We have evidence indicating another vehicle made contact with hers."
"Do you know who drove it?"
"That investigation is ongoing."
Dominic nodded.
"Then tell me what you're allowed to tell me."
Cole studied him.
"That's a different attitude from the one your organization usually takes with the police."
"People change."
"Sometimes."
She closed the folder.
"Your company has appeared in several financial investigations over the years, Mr. Russo."
"Some involved allegations your lawyers successfully challenged."
"Others ended without charges because witnesses disappeared or records proved unreliable."
Dominic said nothing.
"I'm not here to debate your reputation," Cole continued.
"I'm here because Fiona Ellis may have been targeted for exposing a financial crime."
"If your records can help establish what happened, we'll follow them."
"And if they lead to me?"
"Then we'll follow them there too."
Dominic met her eyes.
"Good."
That evening, he returned to Mercy General.
Elena sat beside Fiona's bed, reading aloud from a paperback novel.
She stopped when Dominic appeared in the observation window.
After several seconds, she stepped into the corridor.
"She's had a difficult afternoon," Elena said.
"Is she worse?"
"The doctors say her condition hasn't significantly changed."
Dominic nodded.
"Can I ask you something?"
Elena looked wary.
"Go ahead."
"Did Fiona ever receive threats after moving to Detroit?"
Elena's expression shifted.
"Why?"
"Because somebody inside my organization was tracking her."
For a moment, Elena simply stared at him.
Then she closed her eyes.
"Two years ago, a man started parking outside her apartment building."
Dominic's stomach tightened.
"What happened?"
"She thought somebody was watching June."
"She changed apartments, switched daycare centers, and stopped walking home from work alone."
"Did she report it?"
"Yes."
"But the man disappeared before the police could identify him."
Dominic pressed his fist against his mouth.
"And you never contacted me?"
Elena gave him an incredulous look.
"Dominic, she believed you didn't want anything to do with her."
The words silenced him.
Elena's voice softened slightly.
"She tried to build a normal life."
"She worked long hours, raised June, and volunteered to help small clinics understand their finances."
"Every time she thought the past was finally behind her, something dragged it back."
Dominic looked through the glass.
"Did she ever tell June about me?"
"Not everything."
"What did she say?"
Elena hesitated.
"That her father was alive."
"That he had made mistakes."
"And that someday, when June was older, Fiona would explain the rest."
Dominic lowered his head.
"She could have told her I was dead."
"Fiona wasn't interested in punishing you through her daughter."
The answer made his chest ache.
His phone vibrated.
It was Tessa.
"Dominic, Graham hasn't reported to work."
He stepped away from Elena.
"What do you mean?"
"His office is empty."
"His company phone is turned off."
"And somebody tried to access the archived shipment records twenty minutes ago."
"Did they get in?"
"No."
"The forensic team had already secured the system."
Dominic looked down the empty corridor.
For years, he had assumed the greatest danger came from men approaching with weapons.
Now the man who had betrayed him was carrying twelve years of family secrets and potentially enough information to locate a defenseless woman and her little girl.
"Tell Detective Cole," Dominic said.
"And make sure Elena knows what's happening."
He ended the call.
Then he turned to the woman standing outside Room 304.
"Elena, I need to tell you something."
She saw his expression and immediately straightened.
"What?"
"The man who may have been watching Fiona has disappeared."
Elena looked through the window at her unconscious sister.
May you like
Then she whispered the question Dominic feared most.
"Does he know where June is?"
