Chapter 11 - THE WOMAN IN THE FUNERAL PHOTOGRAPH|
Luca did not turn the car toward Rockford.
A few days earlier, he might have.
He might have ordered his men to find the black SUV and every person connected to it.
But when his hand reached for the phone, he looked at the photograph of Benjamin on his dashboard.
Then he called Maya.
"Tell the investigators everything."
Olivia looked at him.
"You're not going after Greco yourself?"
"No."
Luca's voice was quiet.
"My son needs me alive and out of prison."
I watched his sister study him.
Something in her expression softened.
Perhaps she was seeing the brother she had feared losing years ago.
By the time we returned home, federal investigators had begun searching for Anthony Greco.
They had also arranged temporary protection for him and his daughter if they could be located.
Maya recommended that Benjamin stay somewhere more secure while the investigation continued.
Luca hated the idea of moving him.
But this time, he listened.
That evening, we relocated to a protected apartment in a quiet Chicago neighborhood.
The apartment had ordinary furniture, a small kitchen, and a view of a brick courtyard.
There were no chandeliers.
No marble staircases.
No servants waiting at every doorway.
Benjamin looked around uncertainly.
"Is this our new house?"
"Just for a little while," Luca answered.
"Are we hiding?"
Luca knelt beside him.
"We're staying somewhere safe while some adults sort out serious problems."
Benjamin touched the sleeve of his father's shirt.
"Are you staying too?"
"Tonight, yes."
His face brightened.
"Can Claire stay?"
I smiled.
"If your father doesn't mind."
Luca looked at me.
"I think that would make both of us feel better."
That night, we ate grilled cheese sandwiches at the kitchen table.
Benjamin insisted on making one for his father.
He accidentally burned the bread.
Luca ate every bite.
Watching him, I thought about the man people described as ruthless.
The man who controlled enormous businesses and commanded fear across Chicago.
Here, in an ordinary kitchen, he seemed happiest holding a paper plate his son had decorated with a smiling sun.
After Benjamin fell asleep, Olivia arrived with another box of documents.
She placed it on the table.
"I found something."
Luca looked up.
"About Voss?"
"About Vanessa."
She opened the box.
Inside were old photographs, programs, and receipts from Rosa's funeral.
Olivia had kept them because she couldn't bear to throw away anything connected to her mother.
She spread several pictures across the table.
Then she pointed to one taken near the cemetery entrance.
It showed the woman wearing the ruby bracelet more clearly than the photograph we had already seen.
Beneath her coat was a temporary identification badge.
The writing was small, but readable.
V. BELL — EVENT COORDINATION.
Luca stared at it.
"She was working at Mom's funeral?"
Olivia nodded.
"The funeral director's records confirmed it."
"But why?"
"Because the firm responsible for the event subcontracted administrative work."
She handed him a copy of the payment record.
"The subcontractor was owned by Silas Voss."
I felt cold.
"So he sent her there?"
"That's what it looks like."
Luca lowered the photograph.
"He wanted to know whether Mom left anything behind."
Olivia nodded.
"And Vanessa was there to watch us."
For a long moment, Luca said nothing.
Then he whispered, "She saw Benjamin."
I looked at him.
"What?"
"At the funeral."
Luca stared at the photograph.
"Benjamin was only six."
Olivia sat beside him.
"He spent most of the service holding Mom's old handkerchief."
Luca covered his mouth.
"She knew exactly how much he'd already lost."
The room became quiet.
Then Olivia opened another envelope.
"This was in Mom's personal correspondence."
Inside was a letter addressed to a private attorney.
Rosa had written that she feared the trust's records were being manipulated.
She had also named Victoria Bell as a possible source of unauthorized document access.
Luca read the letter twice.
"Mom was preparing to report both of them."
"Yes."
Olivia looked at him.
"And we buried her before she could finish."
I put a hand over my mouth.
The enormity of the betrayal was becoming difficult to comprehend.
Vanessa had not simply entered Luca's life after his mother died.
She had already been connected to the scheme Rosa was trying to expose.
And she had known about Benjamin long before she became his stepmother.
At eleven that night, Maya called.
"Anthony Greco has been located."
Luca stood.
"Is he alive?"
"Yes."
"And his daughter?"
"Safe."
I closed my eyes in relief.
Maya explained that Greco had fled after recognizing a man connected to the original cover-up.
He had taken his daughter to a relative's house and finally contacted investigators through an attorney.
"He has agreed to give a formal statement under protection," Maya said.
Luca exhaled.
"Good."
"There's more."
"What?"
"Greco says the man who ordered the false inspection report used Vanessa's former name when discussing the payment."
Luca looked at Olivia.
"Victoria Bell?"
"Yes."
Maya paused.
"He says she handled the transaction."
I stared at the funeral photograph.
For years, Vanessa had pretended to be a stranger to Rosa Moretti.
But she had been part of the story all along.
Suddenly, my phone vibrated.
An unfamiliar number appeared on the screen.
I answered cautiously.
"Hello?"
A woman's voice whispered, "Claire?"
My blood ran cold.
Vanessa.
"What do you want?"
"Listen carefully."
Her voice sounded different.
Gone was the arrogance.
In its place was something close to panic.
"Silas knows Luca found the second notebook."
I looked toward Luca.
Vanessa continued.
"He thinks you're the reason Benjamin started talking."
My hand began trembling.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying you aren't safe."
Then she whispered something that made me grip the phone.
May you like
"I can prove who ordered Rosa's death."
Before I could answer, the call ended.
