Chapter 9 - The Detective Who Never Believed the Accident|
Detective Maya Brooks was waiting inside a small conference room at Chicago Police Headquarters when we arrived.
She was a woman in her early forties with sharp eyes and a tired expression that suggested she had spent too many years hearing people lie.
She stood when Luca entered.
"Mr. Moretti."
"Detective."
Her gaze moved toward me.
"And you are?"
"Claire Bennett."
"She helped care for Isabella and has been looking after Sophia," Luca explained.
Maya nodded.
"Please sit."
Daniel Price joined us a moment later.
He placed copies of the foundation records and the service invoice on the table.
Maya studied them without speaking.
Then she opened a folder of her own.
"Before we begin, I want to make something clear."
Luca leaned forward.
"I'm listening."
"Two years ago, I believed there were unanswered questions about your wife's death."
"Then why did you close the case?"
"I didn't."
Luca frowned.
"The investigation was closed."
"The traffic investigation concluded there wasn't enough evidence to establish a crime."
She paused.
"But I submitted a separate request for additional financial and vehicle records."
"What happened?"
"The request was delayed, and I was reassigned."
Luca's jaw tightened.
"By whom?"
"That's part of what we're examining."
She pushed a photograph across the table.
It showed Isabella's damaged vehicle after the crash.
I felt sick.
For two years, I had tried not to imagine what her final moments had been like.
Seeing the wreckage made the loss feel fresh again.
Maya noticed my reaction.
"I'm sorry."
I nodded.
"Please continue."
She turned toward Luca.
"Your wife called our nonemergency line three days before her death."
"What did she say?"
"She wanted to report financial misconduct and threats involving people connected to her husband's business."
Luca closed his eyes.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"The call was logged, but the information was not enough to establish a criminal offense."
Maya hesitated.
"And when we tried to arrange a follow-up meeting, Isabella was already dead."
Luca stared at the table.
I could see him replaying every conversation he had ever had with his wife during that final week.
Maya continued.
"Your security director told investigators that Isabella had been under considerable emotional stress."
"Vincent?"
"Yes."
"He said she was having difficulty sleeping and had become suspicious of people around her."
Luca's hands curled into fists.
"She was suspicious because she had a reason."
"That's what I believed."
Maya opened another folder.
"We also received an anonymous statement after the crash."
"From whom?"
"A mechanic who had worked at Northline Automotive."
Luca leaned forward.
"What did he say?"
"He believed someone had arranged unauthorized work on your wife's vehicle."
"What kind of work?"
"The statement raised concerns about possible interference with its safety systems."
Luca's face drained of color.
"Are you telling me someone deliberately caused the accident?"
"I'm telling you we now have enough information to examine that possibility seriously."
She looked at Daniel.
"The financial records may help us identify who paid for the work."
Daniel nodded.
"We can provide certified copies and connect you with the foundation's accountant."
Maya turned back to Luca.
"I also need you to understand something."
"What?"
"Your family's business activities have made witnesses reluctant to come forward."
Luca didn't respond.
"People are afraid of the Moretti name."
He looked at the photograph of Isabella's car.
"Maybe they should have been afraid of the people around me instead."
Maya studied him.
"Are you willing to cooperate with a lawful investigation, even if it exposes wrongdoing inside your organization?"
Luca hesitated.
For years, his power had depended on loyalty and silence.
Admitting the truth could threaten the empire he had inherited from his father.
But then he looked at me.
I knew he was thinking about Sophia.
"Yes."
Maya closed the folder.
"Then we'll proceed carefully."
As we prepared to leave, she stopped me.
"Miss Bennett, one more question."
"Yes?"
"Did Mrs. Moretti ever mention someone following her?"
I thought for a moment.
"She once asked me whether I'd seen a dark blue sedan parked near the mansion."
Maya looked interested.
"When?"
"During the week before she died."
"Did you see it?"
"Twice."
"Could you recognize it?"
"I'm not sure."
She handed me a photograph.
I stared at the car pictured outside the foundation building.
A dark blue sedan stood near the rear entrance.
"That's it."
Maya nodded slowly.
"Are you certain?"
"Yes."
She pointed toward the driver.
The man's face was partly obscured.
But the profile was familiar.
I felt my stomach drop.
"That's Adrian Bellini."
Maya studied me.
"How do you know?"
"Because he came to the mansion once with Vanessa."
Luca stepped closer.
"When?"
"About a month before Isabella died."
Luca's eyes widened.
"Vanessa told me she hadn't met Adrian in years."
Maya looked between us.
Then she turned the photograph over.
On the back was a handwritten notation from the original investigator.
Vehicle registered to a Bellini Security subsidiary.
Luca stared at the words.
For the first time, I saw him understand the full possibility of what had happened.
May you like
The woman he had married might not simply have stolen from his first wife.
She might have helped kill her.
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