Chapter 7 - THE PRICE OF SILENCE|
By sunrise, Dante had made three decisions.
Leonard Pike would never again represent the Caruso family.
Evelyn Vale would never enter the mansion without the explicit permission of law enforcement.
And Maren would never again be expected to live in a house where fear was treated as good manners.
The first decision was easy.
The second required security arrangements and cooperation from investigators.
The third required something Dante had never been particularly good at.
He had to learn how to be a husband.
At seven-thirty, he found Maren asleep with one hand resting beside the empty space on the mattress.
He had stayed awake in a chair beside her throughout the night.
More than once, she had reached toward him in her sleep.
Each time, he had taken her hand.
Each time, her breathing had settled.
He wondered how many nights she had reached across the bed and found nothing.
The thought made his chest ache.
A knock sounded.
Nico entered quietly.
"Boss, the police are here."
Dante glanced toward Maren.
"Keep your voice down."
Nico looked at the sleeping woman.
Something softened in his expression.
"How is she?"
"Exhausted."
"And you?"
Dante gave him a tired look.
Nico almost smiled.
"Right."
He lowered his voice.
"Detective Olivia Mercer wants to interview Pike."
"Good."
"She's also asked to speak to Mrs. Caruso."
Dante looked toward the bed.
"Not until Samuel says she's ready."
Nico nodded.
"There's another issue."
Dante stood.
"What?"
"The staff records."
He gestured toward the corridor.
Dante followed him into the sitting room.
Nico placed a folder on the table.
"We checked employment changes after the fire."
Dante opened it.
Several familiar names appeared.
A gardener.
A driver.
Two housemaids.
All had resigned within months of one another.
"Why?"
"Officially, personal reasons."
"And unofficially?"
Nico looked grim.
"They complained about Pike and Miss Vale."
Dante turned a page.
The gardener had reported someone moving around the chapel after dark.
The driver had questioned unexplained trips to Milwaukee.
One housemaid had been accused of stealing jewelry after refusing to surrender a spare key to Evelyn.
The accusations had been withdrawn.
But the woman had still lost her job.
Dante felt sick.
"Find her."
"Already working on it."
"Offer compensation for anything she lost because of this."
Nico hesitated.
"Boss, there's no guarantee she'll speak."
"She doesn't owe us anything."
The words surprised Nico.
Dante continued.
"But if she wants to tell us what happened, I'll listen."
Nico nodded.
"Understood."
A soft voice came from the doorway.
"That's new."
They turned.
Maren stood leaning on a walking frame Bennett had provided.
She wore a cream robe over a loose cotton nightdress.
Her hair was tied back.
She looked pale but determined.
Dante crossed the room immediately.
"What are you doing out of bed?"
"Looking for you."
His expression changed.
She noticed.
"I woke up and your chair was empty."
"I'm sorry."
"You don't have to apologize every time you leave a room."
He almost smiled.
"Apparently, I have some catching up to do."
Maren glanced at Nico.
"Good morning."
"Morning, Mrs. Caruso."
"Did you find anything?"
Nico looked toward Dante.
Maren sighed.
"Please stop doing that."
"Doing what?" Nico asked.
"Looking at my husband to decide what I'm allowed to know."
Dante suppressed a smile.
Nico looked distinctly uncomfortable.
"Yes, ma'am."
He handed her the folder.
Maren read quietly.
Her expression changed as she reached the former housemaid's statement.
"Elise."
Dante looked at her.
"You know her?"
"She worked here when I first arrived."
"What happened?"
Maren lowered the folder.
"She helped me after the staircase fall."
Dante felt his jaw tighten.
"Then she was dismissed."
Maren nodded.
"Everyone told me she had stolen a bracelet."
"Did you believe them?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because she was the person who returned my wedding ring when I left it beside the bathroom sink."
Dante stared at her.
"She found a diamond ring and returned it?"
"Yes."
Maren looked toward the statement.
"Elise was honest."
She swallowed.
"And she was kind."
Nico folded his arms.
"We'll find her."
Maren looked at Dante.
"Can I speak to her?"
"Of course."
She seemed surprised by how quickly he agreed.
Dante noticed.
He wished he hadn't given her so many reasons to expect resistance.
A moment later, Bennett entered for his morning examination.
He found Maren standing beside the table.
His eyebrows rose.
"I specifically remember recommending rest."
Maren gave him an apologetic smile.
"I was only walking a little."
Bennett looked at Dante.
"And you allowed this?"
Dante raised both hands.
"Doctor, I'm discovering that my wife has strong opinions."
"Good."
Bennett guided Maren back toward the bedroom.
"She'll need them."
After examining her injuries, he confirmed that the dressings were helping.
He instructed her to avoid pressure on her knees and to contact him immediately if the wounds worsened.
Then he turned to Dante.
"And your shoulder?"
"Fine."
Both Maren and Bennett looked at him.
Dante sighed.
"Apparently, that word is also banned."
Bennett checked the stitches.
He was satisfied with the healing so far but warned Dante against unnecessary strain.
When he finished, he paused at the doorway.
"Mrs. Caruso, one more thing."
Maren looked up.
"Yes?"
"The body doesn't always recover at the same pace as the mind."
She nodded.
"You've been under considerable strain."
He spoke gently.
"Consider talking to someone outside this house."
Maren looked toward Dante.
Her husband answered before she could.
"If that's what she wants, I'll arrange it."
Bennett looked pleased.
"Good."
After the doctor left, Maren sat quietly.
Then she looked at Dante.
"Would you really be comfortable with me speaking to someone about our marriage?"
He didn't answer immediately.
The question forced him to confront the pride that had shaped much of his life.
He had spent years controlling what people knew about the Caruso family.
He had treated privacy as protection.
But secrecy had nearly destroyed his wife.
"Yes," he said.
"Even if I tell them things that make you look terrible?"
"Especially then."
She studied him.
"Why?"
"Because I think I've spent too long caring about how things look."
Maren's eyes filled.
"And not enough about how they feel."
He nodded.
"Exactly."
At noon, Detective Mercer arrived.
She was a serious woman in her early forties with sharp eyes and a calm voice.
Unlike many officers who had dealt with the Caruso family, she did not appear impressed by the mansion.
She introduced herself to Maren and asked whether she felt well enough to speak.
Maren nodded.
Dante offered to stay.
Mercer looked at his wife.
"Would you prefer to speak privately?"
Maren hesitated.
Then she said yes.
Dante stood immediately.
"I'll be outside."
As he reached the doorway, Maren called his name.
He turned.
"Thank you."
He frowned slightly.
"For what?"
"For asking what I wanted."
He remained still for a moment.
Then he nodded and stepped outside.
The interview lasted nearly an hour.
When Mercer emerged, her expression was grave.
Dante stood.
"Well?"
She looked toward the closed bedroom door.
"Your wife has endured a great deal."
"I know."
"I don't think you know all of it."
His stomach tightened.
"What do you mean?"
Mercer lowered her voice.
"She told me about an incident involving her car."
Dante frowned.
"What incident?"
"Last March, someone tampered with the garage access records before her vehicle was taken out."
Dante stared.
"Her car was stolen?"
"Not exactly."
Mercer hesitated.
"Someone used it without permission."
"Who?"
"We're investigating."
She studied his face.
"Mr. Caruso, I need to ask you something."
"What?"
"Did you know your wife received a letter threatening to expose your marriage arrangement unless she left Chicago?"
Dante felt the world tilt.
"No."
Mercer's expression remained steady.
"She says she burned it because she believed leaving would put you in danger."
Dante looked toward the bedroom.
He had spent a year believing his wife remained in the house because she had nowhere else to go.
Now he understood she had stayed while being actively encouraged to run.
"Detective," he said quietly.
"Yes?"
"Find whoever wrote that letter."
"We intend to."
Dante swallowed.
"And when you do, I want you to know something."
Mercer waited.
"I won't protect anyone involved."
She studied him for several seconds.
"Even if that person belongs to your family?"
Dante thought of Pike.
Of Evelyn.
Of his dead father.
Of the traditions that had taught him loyalty mattered more than truth.
Then he looked through the half-open bedroom door.
Maren was sitting by the window, carefully turning the pages of an old nursing textbook.
"Especially then," he answered.
That evening, Nico returned with news.
Elise had been found.
She was living in a small apartment on Chicago's South Side.
She had agreed to speak with Maren.
But she insisted that Dante hear something first.
Nico handed him a folded letter.
Dante opened it.
The handwriting was hurried.
The words were brief.
Mr. Caruso, I did not steal anything from your family.
I was fired because I found the door behind the chapel altar.
And because I saw who came through it on the night your wife almost died.
Dante read the last sentence twice.
Then he looked up.
"What night?"
May you like
Nico swallowed.
"The night Maren fell down the stairs."
