Chapter 11 - THE PRICE OF AN EMPTY PLATE|
By eleven that night, the old loading facility had become the center of an investigation.
Luca had contacted the authorities despite the warning in the message.
Rebecca had insisted that no member of the family attempt a rescue alone.
Margaret sat in a warm vehicle nearby with Nora Alvarez.
She refused to leave the neighborhood.
"I've waited twenty years for Daniel," she told Luca.
"I'm not spending another night wondering whether he's alive."
I sat beside her for several minutes.
She held the chipped porcelain plate in her lap.
It looked painfully ordinary.
Tiny blue flowers.
A cracked edge.
Three felt pads, one of them now partly detached.
Something about its simplicity made the cruelty surrounding it feel even worse.
"Why would Victor want this?" I asked.
Margaret looked down.
"Daniel said it reminded him of the first Christmas we spent together."
She smiled through her tears.
"We didn't have much money."
"He bought two mismatched plates at a secondhand store."
I touched the chipped edge.
"And he kept one all these years?"
"Both."
She nodded.
"He always said a table wasn't complete unless there was room for someone unexpected."
I looked at the plate again.
"Maybe they think the evidence is hidden inside it."
"Do you?"
I thought about the note beneath the felt pad.
ST. AGNES.
LOCKER 24.
KEEP THE PROMISE.
"No," I said slowly.
"I think the plate was supposed to lead someone to the evidence."
Margaret frowned.
"But the locker was empty."
"Daniel took an envelope out of it yesterday."
I paused.
"Perhaps it contained instructions for finding something else."
Margaret looked toward the old brick building.
"Then Victor may not know where the real evidence is."
"Exactly."
I glanced at the flower pattern.
"That's why he needs Daniel alive long enough to tell him."
A knock sounded against the vehicle window.
Michael stood outside.
"Claire, Luca needs you."
I stepped into the freezing night.
Luca was waiting near a police vehicle with an investigator named Elena Morales.
She wore a dark coat and spoke with calm authority.
"Mrs. Sullivan has identified the plate," Morales said.
"The people holding Daniel may believe there's something hidden in it."
Luca looked at me.
"Claire, you know the note we found."
"Yes."
"Do you think it gives us enough information to locate the records?"
"Not yet."
I hesitated.
"But Nora knows the history of that kitchen better than anyone."
Morales nodded.
"We'll have someone speak with her while we focus on getting Daniel out safely."
A few minutes before midnight, another message arrived.
The instructions were short.
NO MORE TALK.
BRING THE PLATE TO THE LOADING DOOR.
Luca insisted on carrying it.
I wanted to argue.
But he looked at me with an expression I had never seen before.
"Daniel risked his life for my father," he said.
"I owe him more than another excuse."
The authorities controlled the approach to the building.
I remained at a sheltered observation point with Rebecca.
Through the dim light, I could see Luca standing near the loading entrance.
He held Margaret's plate in both hands.
The large metal door slowly opened.
Victor Bellini stepped outside.
He wore an expensive charcoal overcoat and leather gloves.
Behind him stood two men.
Between them was Daniel.
His hands were restrained.
Blood marked the collar of his shirt.
But he was alive.
"Where is my wife?" Daniel demanded.
Victor smiled.
"Safe, provided you cooperate."
Luca held up the plate.
"Let him go."
Victor laughed.
"Still giving orders, Luca?"
"You wanted the plate."
"And I want the information your father's old friend stole from me."
Daniel lifted his head.
"Those records were never yours."
Victor's smile vanished.
"They were taken from my companies."
"After you used those companies to steal and kill," Daniel replied.
Victor stepped closer and struck him across the face.
I flinched.
Luca didn't move.
"Touch him again," he said, "and this conversation is over."
Victor stared at him.
"You sound just like your father."
Luca looked directly into his eyes.
"Good."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Victor extended one hand.
"The plate."
Luca hesitated.
Victor moved toward Daniel.
Luca immediately placed the porcelain on a nearby wooden crate.
Victor picked it up.
He turned it over.
His expression changed.
"Where's the key?"
Daniel gave a weak smile.
"You've spent twenty years looking for a secret inside a dinner plate."
Victor's jaw tightened.
"Tell me where the records are."
Daniel looked toward Luca.
"Ask your father where he first apologized to me."
Victor slammed the plate against the crate.
It cracked.
I gasped.
Margaret's last reminder of her husband broke into several pieces.
Victor stared at the shattered porcelain.
Then he reached inside his coat.
Before he could move again, a woman's voice came from the darkness.
"Father, stop."
Vanessa stepped into the loading area.
She wore the same red dress she had worn at Christmas dinner.
In her hand was a small pistol.
Victor turned sharply.
"What are you doing here?"
Vanessa ignored him.
She looked directly at Luca.
"You should have signed the papers."
Luca stared at his wife.
"Vanessa, put that down."
She shook her head.
"You ruined everything."
May you like
Then she raised the weapon toward Daniel.
And a shot shattered the silence.
