Chapter 6 - The Message Inside the Gold Watch
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The courier hadn't left Chicago.
That was the first piece of good news we'd received all evening.
The parcel was scheduled for overnight delivery to an office address in Milwaukee.
The recipient was a company called Westbridge Consulting.
I recognized the name immediately.
It appeared repeatedly in Giovanni's diary.
The same company he'd suspected of receiving stolen foundation funds.
Luca stared at the shipping information.
“Who signed for the pickup?”
Mrs. Romano checked the household dispatch log.
“Isabella.”
“And the recipient?”
“Victor Bellini.”
Teresa closed her eyes.
“Her father.”
Luca reached for his phone.
He contacted Detective Daniel Harris, an investigator who had previously worked on financial cases involving the Moretti organization.
Within an hour, Harris arrived at the mansion.
He listened while Luca explained the diary, the altered documents, and the suspicious package.
Then he examined the shipping receipt.
“We'll contact the courier company and seek lawful preservation of the shipment,” Harris said.
Luca leaned forward.
“I want the package.”
“I understand.”
“Tonight.”
Harris met his eyes.
“Then let us do this properly. If it contains evidence, we need to protect its integrity.”
For a moment, I thought Luca would argue.
Instead, he nodded.
It surprised me.
People in Chicago whispered that Luca solved disagreements through intimidation.
But tonight, with his mother's safety involved, he seemed determined not to repeat the mistakes that had allowed Isabella to control the household.
Harris also asked to speak with Teresa privately.
She agreed.
I waited in the hallway while the detective took her statement.
When he emerged, his expression was serious.
“Mrs. Moretti has described several incidents in which her property was removed without permission.”
Luca nodded.
“I know.”
“She's also reported that Isabella discouraged her from contacting people outside the house.”
My stomach tightened.
That was new.
“What people?” Luca asked.
“Old friends. Former staff members. Her attorney.”
Teresa's voice came from the doorway.
“She told me they didn't want to hear from me anymore.”
I turned.
She sat in her wheelchair, looking smaller than before.
“She said they were tired of hearing about Giovanni.”
My throat tightened.
Luca knelt beside her.
“Ma, why didn't you tell me?”
She looked away.
“Because every time I tried, Isabella said I was being sentimental.”
Her voice broke.
“And you told me she meant well.”
Luca lowered his head.
“I know.”
I watched him struggle to find words.
Then Teresa gently touched his cheek.
“I'm telling you now.”
He nodded.
“And I'm listening.”
The following morning, investigators obtained the package through the appropriate legal process.
It was opened and documented.
Inside was a gold wristwatch.
This one had an engraving.
G & T — June 14, 1985.
Teresa began crying when she saw the photograph of it.
“My Giovanni.”
But the watch had been altered.
The back plate was loose.
And inside the casing, a technician discovered a tiny folded strip of paper protected by thin plastic.
The writing was almost impossibly small.
Yet the words were clear.
If the accounts are emptied, look beneath the north bell.
Luca stared at the photograph.
“The north bell?”
Teresa looked confused.
“What bell?”
Harris examined the note.
“Could it refer to a building?”
Luca thought for a moment.
Then his expression changed.
“The old chapel.”
I frowned.
“What chapel?”
“My father built a chapel on our family's lakeside property.”
Teresa looked up.
“The one in Lake Geneva?”
He nodded.
“It has a bell tower.”
I remembered hearing the staff talk about the property.
A beautiful estate in Wisconsin that Giovanni had purchased for Teresa during their early marriage.
They spent every summer there until his death.
Afterward, Teresa stopped visiting.
The place had remained mostly empty.
Luca pointed toward the photograph.
“The northern bell is one of two in the tower.”
Teresa slowly shook her head.
“Giovanni wouldn't hide something dangerous there.”
“Why not?” Luca asked.
“Because he knew I might return.”
Luca looked at her.
“Maybe that's exactly why he chose it.”
A long silence followed.
Then Harris spoke.
“We'll coordinate with the local authorities before anyone searches the property.”
Luca nodded.
But as he reached for his phone, mine began vibrating.
A message from an unknown number.
I opened it.
There was a photograph of my younger brother, Daniel.
He was standing outside his high school.
The photograph had been taken that morning.
Underneath were nine words.
Tell Luca to stop looking, or Daniel gets hurt.
My legs nearly gave way.
I looked at the screen.
Then at Teresa.
Then at Luca.
He saw my expression.
“Emma?”
I couldn't answer.
He stepped closer.
“What happened?”
I handed him the phone.
He read the message.
And the look on his face changed completely.
May you like
For the first time, the investigation wasn't only about his family.
Someone had brought mine into it.
