Chapter 5 - THE LITTLE GIRL WHO HELD THE MISSING PIECE|
By sunrise, Sarah's apartment had become the center of an investigation she never wanted.
Detective Brooks photographed Michael's letter.
A digital forensic specialist collected the flash drive.
Two officers reviewed the building's security arrangements.
And Sarah sat at her kitchen table, staring at her husband's wedding ring.
Five years of grief had taught her how to survive without answers.
Now answers were appearing everywhere.
And each one frightened her more than the last.
Lily entered the kitchen wearing purple pajamas.
“Mommy, why are there police officers here?”
Sarah quickly wiped her cheeks.
“They're helping me find some important things Daddy left behind.”
Lily looked at Detective Brooks.
“Are you a good police officer?”
Brooks smiled.
“I try very hard to be.”
“Then can you find my daddy's blue notebook?”
Sarah froze.
“What notebook, sweetheart?”
Lily climbed onto the chair beside her.
“The one with the shiny star.”
Sarah stared at her daughter.
“Where did you see it?”
Lily frowned thoughtfully.
“Daddy gave it to me when I was little.”
Sarah's heart began pounding.
“Baby, you were only two when Daddy died.”
“I know.”
Lily nodded seriously.
“But I remember the star.”
Detective Brooks leaned forward.
“Do you remember where you put it?”
Lily shrugged.
“In my treasure box.”
Sarah hurried into the bedroom.
On the lowest shelf of Lily's bookcase sat a pink plastic box decorated with stickers.
Inside were crayons, birthday cards, a broken bracelet, and several small toys.
At the very bottom lay a tiny blue notebook.
A silver star was glued to its cover.
Sarah picked it up.
Her hands began trembling.
Michael had bought the notebook at a dollar store shortly before his death.
She remembered him telling Lily it was for her most important treasures.
Inside were drawings of flowers and crooked hearts.
But the final pages were different.
They contained numbers.
Dates.
Initials.
And a hand-drawn diagram of a warehouse loading platform.
Detective Brooks examined the pages.
“These look like inspection references.”
Sarah turned another page.
A photograph had been tucked between the paper sheets.
It showed Michael standing beside three men outside a warehouse.
Sarah recognized Richard Bellini immediately.
The second man wore a maintenance supervisor's uniform.
The third was younger, with dark hair and a narrow scar near his eyebrow.
Lily pointed at the photograph.
“That man was at the big house.”
Sarah looked down.
“Which man?”
Lily touched the face with the scar.
“He came to Grandma Evelyn's house when you took me there for Christmas.”
Sarah remembered that visit.
Evelyn had insisted that Lily attend the staff holiday party.
The little girl had spent the afternoon decorating cookies in the kitchen.
Sarah had noticed a man speaking with Richard near the garage but hadn't thought much of it.
“Are you sure?” Brooks asked.
Lily nodded.
“He had a funny voice.”
Sarah's stomach tightened.
“What did he say?”
Lily looked toward the window.
“He said the old lady should stop asking questions.”
Silence filled the kitchen.
Detective Brooks carefully closed the notebook.
“Mrs. Collins, I'd like to have an officer remain nearby while we identify these people.”
Sarah pulled Lily onto her lap.
“Is my daughter in danger?”
“I don't have evidence of an immediate threat,” Brooks answered. “But given what we've found, precautions make sense.”
Lily rested her head against Sarah's chest.
“Mommy, did I do something bad?”
Sarah held her tightly.
“No, sweetheart. You did something very brave.”
Later that morning, Luca arrived with Daniel.
He had barely slept.
His mother was stable, but doctors wanted to monitor her concussion.
When Sarah showed him the photograph, his expression darkened.
“I know that man.”
He pointed toward the figure with the scar.
“His name is Victor Hale.”
“Who is he?” Brooks asked.
“He used to supervise security at our South Side warehouse.”
“Used to?”
“I fired him four years ago after discovering he'd falsified employee background checks.”
Sarah stared at him.
“Four years ago?”
Luca nodded.
“Why?”
“Michael died five years ago.”
The detective wrote something in her notebook.
“Do you know where Hale works now?”
Luca hesitated.
“Richard hired him as a private consultant.”
Sarah closed her eyes.
Another connection.
Another reason to be afraid.
Then Lily tugged at Luca's sleeve.
“Mr. Luca?”
He looked down.
“Yes?”
“Grandma Evelyn told me you were brave.”
Luca managed a faint smile.
“Did she?”
Lily nodded.
“She said you were brave when you were little, but sometimes you forgot to be kind.”
Sarah's cheeks flushed.
“Lily!”
But Luca laughed softly.
“That sounds exactly like my mother.”
Lily studied him.
“Can you help her get better?”
“I'll do everything I can.”
“And can you help Mommy stop crying?”
The room went quiet.
Luca looked at Sarah.
For the first time, she saw how deeply her daughter's simple question affected him.
“I'll try,” he whispered.
That afternoon, the forensic specialist called Detective Brooks.
The flash drive contained encrypted files, but one unencrypted recording had been recovered.
It was dated two days before Michael's death.
The detective played it through her laptop.
Michael's voice filled the room.
“If anyone hears this, Richard Bellini has been stealing from the Moretti family for years.”
A second voice answered.
Sarah recognized it immediately.
Victor Hale.
“You should've taken the money, Collins.”
Michael replied firmly.
“I won't help you kill an innocent man.”
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Then came a chilling sentence.
“LUCA MORETTI ISN'T THE ONLY PERSON ON THE LIST.”
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