Chapter 5 - The Boy Who Remembered Too Much
I didn't sleep that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Catherine's photograph.
Her smile.
The hospital.
The unfamiliar woman beside her.
And the impossible fact that someone had used Catherine's old bank account yesterday.
At six the next morning, I entered the kitchen and found Luca sitting alone at the breakfast table.
He was still wearing yesterday's black shirt.
His sleeves were rolled to his elbows, revealing the tattoos that covered both forearms.
A cup of untouched coffee stood before him.
“Good morning, Mr. Moretti.”
He looked up.
“Hannah.”
“Did you get any rest?”
He gave a humorless smile.
“Not much.”
I moved toward the coffee machine.
Then he asked a question I wasn't expecting.
“How is your mother?”
I stopped.
“My mother?”
“You mentioned her medical bills when you started working here.”
I turned toward him.
“She's improving slowly.”
“What's her name?”
“Margaret Collins.”
He nodded.
“Does she know what happened last night?”
“No, sir.”
“Good. I'd rather she didn't have another reason to worry about you.”
I looked down.
Nobody in that mansion had ever asked about my mother except Teresa.
Before I could respond, small footsteps sounded in the hallway.
A little boy appeared in the doorway.
Dark curls.
Gray eyes.
Blue pajamas.
He clutched a stuffed dinosaur beneath one arm.
“Daddy?”
Luca stood immediately.
“Hey, buddy.”
Six-year-old Noah Moretti ran into his father's arms.
Luca lifted him onto his hip.
The transformation was remarkable.
The hard expression disappeared.
His shoulders relaxed.
For the first time since the dinner, he smiled.
“Why are you awake so early?” Luca asked.
Noah rubbed his eyes.
“I heard Grandma crying.”
Luca's smile faded.
“She's feeling better now.”
“Was Vanessa mean again?”
I froze.
Luca looked at his son.
“What do you mean, again?”
Noah stared at the stuffed dinosaur.
“Nothing.”
Luca crouched so their eyes were level.
“Noah, you can tell me anything.”
The little boy hesitated.
Then whispered, “Vanessa says Grandma is old and makes everyone sad.”
Luca's face changed.
“Did she say that to you?”
Noah nodded.
“She said when she marries you, Grandma will go somewhere quiet.”
My stomach turned.
Luca closed his eyes briefly.
Then he hugged his son.
“Listen carefully. Grandma isn't going anywhere unless she wants to. This is her home.”
Noah pressed his face against his father's shoulder.
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
I turned away to give them privacy.
Then Noah said something that made me stop breathing.
“Will the lady in the blue coat come back?”
Luca looked down.
“What lady?”
“The lady Mommy talked to.”
Silence.
Luca slowly lifted his head.
“Noah, what lady?”
The boy looked confused.
“The crying lady.”
“When did you see her?”
“When Mommy was still here.”
My heart pounded.
Noah had been two years old when Catherine died.
Could he possibly remember something from that time?
Luca spoke gently.
“Where did you see her?”
Noah pointed toward the hallway.
“Outside Daddy's office.”
“Do you remember what she looked like?”
Noah nodded.
“She had hair like Aunt Sofia.”
Sofia was Luca's younger sister.
Her hair was black and curly.
Like the woman in the photograph.
Luca looked at me.
I knew what he was thinking.
Elena.
But Noah wasn't finished.
“The lady was scared,” he whispered.
“Why?”
“Because another lady was shouting.”
Luca kept his voice steady.
“Who was shouting?”
Noah squeezed the dinosaur.
“The lady with the red shoes.”
For one second, I heard only the ticking kitchen clock.
Vanessa loved red shoes.
I had polished three pairs of them myself.
Luca gently touched his son's cheek.
“Was it Vanessa?”
Noah frowned.
“Maybe.”
Then he shook his head.
“No. Vanessa had different hair then.”
Luca went completely still.
“What do you mean?”
Noah looked at his father.
“She was the lady who gave me candy when Mommy said not to open the door.”
My stomach dropped.
Luca had told everyone Vanessa entered his life two years after Catherine's death.
But his son had just described meeting her before the accident.
Luca held Noah tightly.
“Did Mommy know her?”
Noah nodded.
“They were arguing.”
“About what?”
The boy looked frightened.
“I don't remember.”
“That's okay.”
Luca kissed his forehead.
“You haven't done anything wrong.”
He asked Mrs. Alvarez to take Noah upstairs for breakfast and cartoons.
When they were gone, Luca turned toward me.
“You heard him.”
I nodded.
“Mr. Moretti, he's very young. Memories from that age can be confused.”
“I know.”
He rubbed his forehead.
“But Vanessa lied about knowing Catherine. And now my son remembers a woman who looks like her.”
Before I could answer, Marco entered.
His expression was grim.
“Boss. We found the original accident report.”
Luca straightened.
“And?”
Marco placed a folder on the table.
“The brake failure wasn't included in the final investigation.”
My heart stopped.
Luca stared at him.
“What brake failure?”
Marco opened the folder.
“The preliminary inspection found damage to Catherine's vehicle.”
“Accidental?”
Marco looked directly at him.
“The mechanic believed somebody had tampered with the brake lines.”
Luca's face went completely blank.
May you like
Then Marco delivered the worst news yet.
“The mechanic disappeared two days after filing that report.”
