Chapter 6 - The Car That Never Tried to Stop|
Detective Imani Cole arrived at Elena's house before sunrise.
She came with a uniformed officer and a quiet request that everyone remain calm.
Peter Ellis, Elena's husband, opened the door while still wearing his pajamas.
June was asleep upstairs, unaware that adults were discussing threats against her family in the kitchen.
Elena sat at the table with both hands wrapped around a mug of tea.
"Are you saying somebody might hurt my niece?" she asked.
"We have no confirmed threat against June," Cole answered.
"But given what happened to Fiona, we're taking reasonable precautions."
Peter glanced toward the staircase.
"Should we leave?"
"I'd like you to stay somewhere less predictable for a few days."
"We can coordinate arrangements without publicizing your destination."
Elena nodded.
"Whatever keeps her safe."
Dominic stood near the back door.
He had arrived only after Elena agreed to let him know about the meeting.
For once, he resisted the urge to take control.
"I have properties available," he offered.
Cole shook her head.
"I'd prefer a location your employees don't know."
Dominic accepted the decision without argument.
That alone appeared to surprise Peter.
A few minutes later, June appeared on the stairs carrying her stuffed rabbit.
"Why is everybody awake?" she asked sleepily.
Elena forced a smile.
"We're going on a little trip, sweetheart."
June rubbed one eye.
"Is Mommy coming?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Dominic felt the silence like a knife.
Then Elena approached her.
"Mommy still needs the doctors to help her."
"But she knows how much you love her."
June looked toward Dominic.
"Can you tell her?"
"Tell her what?" he asked.
"That I watered her plants."
He crouched.
"I'll make sure she knows."
June considered him for a moment.
"And tell her I didn't eat all the cookies."
Peter coughed to hide a laugh.
Dominic managed a smile.
"I'll tell her that too."
June leaned closer.
"Even though I did."
For one brief moment, the kitchen felt like an ordinary family home.
Then Detective Cole's phone rang, and reality returned.
She listened carefully before stepping into the hallway.
When she came back, her expression had changed.
"We've confirmed something about the collision," she said.
Dominic stood.
"What?"
"We recovered video from a business overlooking the road."
Two hours later, Dominic and Tessa sat inside a police interview room.
Cole placed a laptop on the table, with authorization to show them a limited portion of the footage relevant to their information.
The recording showed a wet stretch of road illuminated by streetlights.
Cars moved carefully through the rain.
A gray sedan entered the frame.
Dominic recognized Fiona's vehicle from the photographs Elena had shown him.
A dark SUV approached from behind.
It followed at a steady distance for several seconds.
Then it accelerated.
Dominic leaned forward.
The SUV struck Fiona's car near the rear passenger side.
Her sedan swerved violently, crossed a lane, and hit the concrete barrier.
The other vehicle continued forward before disappearing from the camera's view.
Dominic stared at the screen.
There had been no attempt to brake.
No effort to pull over.
No indication that the driver had even considered stopping.
"Play it again," he whispered.
Cole hesitated.
"Mr. Russo."
"Please."
She replayed the footage.
Dominic watched Fiona's car twist across the road.
He imagined her hands tightening around the steering wheel.
He imagined her fear during the final seconds before impact.
Five years ago, he had told himself that breaking her heart would keep her out of danger.
Yet there she was, fighting for her life on a rain-soaked Chicago road because danger had found her anyway.
"Who owns the SUV?" he asked.
"We're still identifying the vehicle."
"There's a company marking on the rear window."
Cole paused the image.
Dominic leaned closer.
The marking was partially obscured by rain, but he recognized its distinctive red-and-silver design.
"Calder Transport," he said.
Tessa turned toward him.
"Are you certain?"
"It's a contractor that has done business with our freight network."
Cole wrote something down.
"Do they work with Lorenzo Moretti?"
Dominic nodded slowly.
"Moretti uses them for shipments he doesn't want connected directly to his own companies."
Cole closed the laptop.
"That's useful information."
Dominic remained seated.
"Useful won't bring her back."
"No," Cole answered.
"But evidence might help us hold the people responsible accountable."
She studied him carefully.
"I know what people expect from you, Mr. Russo."
"They expect revenge."
Dominic looked at the closed laptop.
"So did I."
"And now?"
"Now I want a courtroom."
That afternoon, he returned to Fiona's room with Elena's permission.
Dr. Mitchell explained that Fiona's neurological condition was being monitored closely and that the medical team hoped to reduce her breathing support when it was safe.
He made no promises about when she might wake or what her recovery would look like.
Dominic sat beside her bed.
He did not reach for her hand.
Instead, he placed a small photograph on the bedside table, where Elena had agreed it could remain.
The picture showed June standing in a sunny backyard, holding her rabbit by its ears.
"Your daughter wanted me to tell you something," Dominic whispered.
The ventilator continued its steady rhythm.
"She watered your plants."
His throat tightened.
"And apparently she ate all the cookies."
He looked at the photograph.
"She's beautiful, Fiona."
"She has your smile."
He paused.
"And my eyes."
Tears blurred his vision.
"I don't know if you'll ever want me in her life."
"I don't know if you'll want me in yours."
He bent forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
"But I need you to wake up and make those decisions yourself."
For several minutes, nothing changed.
Then he noticed a faint movement beneath the sheet.
Dominic froze.
Fiona's right hand had shifted slightly.
He stood so quickly that the chair scraped against the floor.
"Nurse!"
A nurse entered and assessed Fiona while Dominic stepped back.
The movement might have been reflexive, she explained, and it was too early to interpret its meaning.
Dominic nodded.
He knew better than to demand a miracle from one small gesture.
But before leaving, he looked once more at Fiona's hand.
For the first time since he had seen her through the glass, hope had become something more than a desperate wish.
That evening, Detective Cole called Tessa with another discovery.
A witness had seen the SUV turn into a parking garage shortly after the collision.
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The garage belonged to a commercial building leased through one of Graham Pike's companies.
And investigators had obtained authorization to search it.
