Chapter 4 - THE PHOTOGRAPH THAT EXPOSED THE FIRST LIE|
By midnight, the wedding mansion no longer resembled the place where two hundred guests had celebrated.
The champagne fountains were empty.
The orchestra had gone home.
White roses lay scattered across the floor.
And police evidence markers surrounded the staircase where Rosa had nearly lost her life.
Luca had contacted a criminal defense attorney and an investigator experienced in financial crimes.
Both had advised him to preserve evidence and involve law enforcement rather than confront Victor Bellini himself.
For a man accustomed to controlling every room he entered, that advice was difficult to accept.
But his mother's safety mattered more than his pride.
I returned to the mansion with Marco shortly after midnight to collect Rosa's medication list, glasses, and warm clothing.
Neither of us spoke during the drive.
When we entered the foyer, I stopped beside the staircase.
The missing handrail had left a row of exposed mounting holes in the marble.
A brass support bracket rested beneath a sheet of clear evidence film.
My gaze moved toward the landing where Rosa had fallen.
I could still hear her scream.
"Are you all right?" Marco asked.
"No."
He nodded.
"Neither am I."
I turned toward him.
"You've protected this family for fifteen years."
"Seventeen."
"Then you knew Frank Moretti."
Marco looked toward the staircase.
"He was a difficult man, but he loved his family."
"Did he trust Dominic?"
Marco hesitated.
"Frank trusted his younger brother more than he should have."
Before I could ask another question, a young man hurried toward us from the dining room.
He was carrying a black camera bag.
"Mr. DeSantis, I was told not to leave."
Marco nodded.
"Claire, this is Daniel Mercer, the wedding photographer."
Daniel looked exhausted.
"I've been copying everything from my cameras."
"Did you photograph the staircase this morning?" I asked.
"Almost continuously."
My heart began pounding.
"Can we see the pictures?"
Daniel glanced at Marco.
"Mr. Moretti asked me to cooperate."
He opened his laptop.
The first images showed florists carrying arrangements into the foyer.
Then came photographs of the decorators.
A worker balanced on a ladder near the stairwell.
The next image showed Vanessa inspecting the decorations at 8:07 a.m.
She was wearing a silk robe and holding a clipboard.
I leaned closer.
"Go forward."
Daniel clicked.
At 8:11, Evelyn Hart appeared beside the lower landing.
She was holding Rosa's wooden cane.
At 8:12, she disappeared through a side doorway.
At 8:19, she returned with the cane.
Something about her expression made me shiver.
"Can you enlarge the picture?" I asked.
Daniel zoomed in.
The cane rested across Evelyn's hands.
Near the handle, a narrow line was visible beneath a decorative ribbon.
"That ribbon wasn't on the cane yesterday," I whispered.
Marco leaned forward.
"Are you sure?"
"I polished that cane every Friday."
I knew every scratch on the wood.
Rosa had owned it for eleven years.
The ribbon had been added to conceal the damaged section.
Daniel opened another photograph.
This one showed Vanessa speaking to Evelyn beside the staircase.
Her lips were close to Evelyn's ear.
One hand pointed toward the cane.
The other held a small packet.
Daniel enlarged the image again.
The packet contained several thin metal blades.
Marco's jaw tightened.
"That isn't proof of what they did, but it's enough to make investigators look closer."
I nodded.
We needed the originals, their timestamps, and the people who had handled the objects.
Nobody could afford to turn suspicion into another false accusation.
Daniel handed Marco an encrypted drive containing his unedited photographs.
Then he cleared his throat.
"There's something else."
"What?" Marco asked.
"I took a few pictures in the garden before the ceremony."
He opened another folder.
In the first photograph, Vanessa stood beside her father, Victor Bellini.
They appeared to be arguing.
In the second, Victor handed her a dark leather folder.
And in the third, Dominic Moretti stepped from behind a stone column.
I felt the blood drain from my face.
"Why would Dominic meet Vanessa's father before the ceremony?"
Marco stared at the screen.
"Because they're doing business together."
Daniel clicked the final photograph.
It showed Dominic signing a document while Vanessa watched.
The document's heading was only partly visible.
But one phrase could be read clearly.
Transfer of Temporary Voting Authority.
Marco exhaled.
"Rosa controls the largest voting block in Moretti Shipping."
I looked toward him.
"What happens if she becomes incapacitated?"
His face went pale.
"Dominic can attempt to exercise temporary authority under the family trust."
Suddenly, the missing railing made terrible sense.
The attack had not simply been about wedding photographs.
Someone wanted Rosa unable to stop a business deal.
Before we could say another word, Daniel's laptop displayed an incoming message.
The sender was an unknown number.
You should have deleted those pictures.
May you like
A second message appeared.
Ask the maid how quickly a house can burn.
