Chapter 6 - THE MAN WHO CAME TO THE HOSPITAL|
Frank's accusation changed everything.
Luca stood beside the hospital bed, staring at his father.
"Raymond ordered Mom's death?"
Frank's hands began trembling.
"I can't prove everything yet."
"But Maria told me she was frightened of him."
"She said Simon was stealing money, but Raymond was the one making threats."
Luca slowly sat down.
For years, he had believed his mother's fatal car accident was exactly that.
An accident.
A rain-soaked highway.
A truck that had vanished before police arrived.
A shattered windshield.
And a phone call that had destroyed his childhood.
Now the memories were returning with a different meaning.
"Why didn't you tell the police?"
Frank lowered his head.
"I gave them what I knew."
"But Raymond had lawyers."
"And Simon swore he hadn't seen Maria that night."
His voice broke.
"I didn't have enough evidence."
I watched Luca struggle with the knowledge that his father had lived with these doubts for fifteen years.
Then Frank took my hand.
"Claire, I need you to promise me something."
"Anything I can safely do, Mr. Moretti."
He smiled weakly.
"Don't let Luca become the kind of man Raymond wants him to be."
Luca looked up.
"Dad?"
Frank turned toward his son.
"Your mother wanted you to build something better than fear."
Luca didn't answer.
But I saw the muscles in his jaw tighten.
Later that afternoon, Evelyn obtained an emergency court order preventing the disputed foundation property transaction from moving forward while the ownership and authority questions were examined.
Detective Alvarez continued collecting evidence.
The hospital restricted unauthorized access to Frank's room.
For the first time in weeks, I thought he might finally be safe.
I was wrong.
At 5:20 p.m., I went downstairs to buy him a newspaper.
Frank liked reading the sports section, even though he complained that Chicago teams always found creative ways to disappoint him.
When I returned, a woman in pale-blue medical scrubs was standing outside his room.
She wore a surgical mask and held a clipboard.
"Excuse me," I said.
"Are you here to see Mr. Moretti?"
She glanced at me.
"Medication review."
I looked at the badge clipped to her pocket.
The photograph was partly covered.
Something felt wrong.
"Which department are you from?"
She stiffened.
"Pharmacy."
I remembered Dr. Patel saying that all medication changes would be reviewed by the attending team.
"Would you mind waiting while I confirm?"
The woman's eyes narrowed.
"I'm very busy."
"So am I."
I stepped toward the nurses' station.
Suddenly, the woman turned and hurried down the hallway.
"Security!" I shouted.
The next several seconds happened so quickly that they barely felt real.
A hospital security officer intercepted her near the elevators.
She tried to push past him.
Her clipboard fell to the floor.
Inside was a printed photograph of Frank's hospital chart.
And beneath it was a page listing his medications.
I felt cold all over.
The woman began insisting there had been a misunderstanding.
But she couldn't provide valid hospital identification.
Detective Alvarez arrived twenty minutes later.
The woman was taken away for questioning.
The detective later told us she was not a hospital employee.
She had previously worked for a private caregiving agency associated with one of Raymond's companies.
"What did she want?" Luca demanded.
Detective Alvarez remained careful.
"We don't know yet."
"But her phone contains messages asking whether your father's medical records have been corrected."
"Corrected?" I repeated.
The detective nodded.
"Someone appears extremely interested in controlling what his doctors know."
Luca turned toward the window.
His hands were clenched.
I had seen that look before.
It was the expression he wore when someone crossed a line that could never be uncrossed.
"Tell me where Raymond is," he said.
Detective Alvarez stepped directly in front of him.
"Mr. Moretti, we are investigating."
"I don't need an investigation to know what he did."
"No," she answered firmly.
"But you need evidence if you want the people responsible to remain behind bars."
He looked at her.
For a long moment, I thought he might refuse to listen.
Then he nodded.
"Find the evidence."
That evening, Frank asked us to turn on the television.
Instead of watching the news, he wanted to see the recording of Maria's birthday again.
Gabriel had provided a separate copy of the family footage after investigators preserved the original media.
We watched Maria laugh beneath Christmas lights.
Then Frank pointed at the screen.
"Stop it there."
I paused the video.
Maria stood beside a tall man wearing a dark overcoat.
His face was partly hidden.
Luca leaned forward.
"Who's that?"
Frank took a shaky breath.
"Thomas Keene."
"The driver?"
Frank nodded.
"Your mother trusted him."
Luca frowned.
"I thought Thomas left Chicago before her accident."
"That's what Raymond told everyone."
Frank's expression changed.
"But Thomas was driving behind your mother that night."
I stared at him.
"You mean he witnessed the crash?"
Frank nodded.
"He called me afterward."
"What did he say?" Luca demanded.
Frank looked at the paused image.
"He said Maria wasn't alone on the road."
Luca's face turned pale.
Then Frank whispered, "He saw the car that forced her off the highway."
The room fell silent.
"Why didn't he testify?" I asked.
Frank closed his eyes.
"Because someone threatened his family."
Then he reached beneath his pillow and removed a folded piece of paper.
It contained an address in Wisconsin.
"Thomas sent me this two weeks ago."
Luca took it.
May you like
At the bottom were seven handwritten words.
I am ready to tell the truth.
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