Chapter 10 - The Night the Lights Went Out|
The first scream came from the fourth floor.
By the time we reached the lobby, frightened residents were already gathering on the stairs.
Emergency lights glowed faintly above the doors.
Someone was pounding from inside the elevator.
"Help!"
Luca rushed toward the sound.
"Who's in there?"
A woman's voice answered.
"My father!"
She sounded close to tears.
"He's seventy-nine, and he can't stand for very long!"
Luca placed his hand against the elevator door.
"Stay calm."
He turned toward Marco.
"Call the fire department and tell them someone is trapped."
Marco was already dialing.
I hurried to the woman.
She introduced herself as Marisol Vega.
Her father, Antonio, had been returning from a medical appointment when the lights went out.
"He has heart problems," she whispered.
I squeezed her hand.
"Help is coming."
Around us, people began talking over one another.
Some wanted to leave immediately.
Others worried that the outage was proof the buildings were unsafe.
A man shouted that the notices from Briarstone had warned this would happen.
I remembered Julian Mercer's frightened face.
Someone wanted these people to believe their homes had become dangerous.
And someone was willing to frighten them into leaving.
Luca stood near the elevator, speaking calmly through the closed doors.
"Antonio, can you hear me?"
A weak voice answered.
"Yes."
"My name is Luca Moretti."
There was a pause.
"Salvatore's son?"
"That's right."
Antonio gave a faint laugh.
"Your father still owes me five dollars from a card game."
Despite everything, Luca smiled.
"Then I'll settle his debt when you're out."
"Make it ten."
Luca laughed softly.
"You drive a hard bargain."
I saw several residents relax.
For a brief moment, fear gave way to something almost ordinary.
Then Tessa came running down the stairs.
"Claire, we have another problem."
"What happened?"
"Mrs. Patterson uses an oxygen concentrator."
My heart dropped.
"Where is she?"
"Third floor."
"Does she have backup oxygen?"
"I don't know."
I looked toward Luca.
He heard us.
"Go check on her."
He turned toward Marco.
"Make sure emergency medical services know."
I followed Tessa upstairs.
The stairwell was dim, and the emergency lighting barely reached the upper floors.
We found Mrs. Patterson sitting beside her living room window.
She was eighty-one years old.
A small battery-powered lamp illuminated her worried face.
Her oxygen equipment had stopped working when the power failed.
A portable backup supply sat beside her chair, but she was afraid it wouldn't last.
I knelt in front of her.
"Mrs. Patterson, we're getting medical help."
She gripped my hand.
"I don't want to leave my home."
"You may need to go somewhere safe temporarily."
Tears filled her eyes.
"They're going to use this to take the apartment away."
I shook my head.
"Not without a fight."
Her fingers tightened around mine.
"Promise?"
I thought of all the promises powerful people had broken in these buildings.
Then I answered carefully.
"I promise we won't abandon you."
Paramedics arrived shortly afterward.
They evaluated Mrs. Patterson and arranged a safe transfer while emergency crews worked to restore services.
Downstairs, firefighters were helping Antonio from the stalled elevator.
Luca stood nearby.
When Antonio finally emerged, he looked exhausted but alert.
He noticed Luca immediately.
"Where's my ten dollars?"
Luca pulled out his wallet.
Antonio laughed.
For the first time that evening, people began smiling.
But the relief didn't last.
Marco approached Luca with a serious expression.
"The outage appears to involve damage to equipment serving the buildings."
"Accidental?"
"The utility company and authorities are investigating."
Luca looked toward Naomi.
She had been speaking with city officials.
"Someone may be trying to create grounds for an emergency evacuation," she said.
"Can they do that?" I asked.
"Not lawfully through forged notices or manufactured conditions."
She glanced toward the darkened buildings.
"But the danger to the residents is real, regardless of who caused it."
Luca looked furious.
"What do you need from me?"
Naomi answered without hesitation.
"Cooperation."
He frowned.
She continued.
"Not threats, not private retaliation, and not your men confronting suspects."
Luca looked at her for a long moment.
Then he nodded.
"Whatever helps keep these people safe."
Naomi seemed surprised by the answer.
So was I.
For years, Luca Moretti had solved problems by commanding people.
Now he was being asked to trust investigators, attorneys, emergency workers, and ordinary residents.
He was being asked to give up control.
That might have been the hardest thing anyone had ever demanded of him.
By nine that evening, temporary safety arrangements had been established.
Crews continued working while volunteers distributed blankets and hot drinks.
The residents gathered in the courtyard.
Some chose to stay with relatives until the power returned.
Others waited for updates from the utility company.
Luca stood with them.
He did not hide behind his security detail.
He helped carry boxes of supplies.
He spoke with the emergency responders.
And when someone blamed the Moretti family for everything that had happened, he didn't argue.
He listened.
Later, Naomi received a call.
Her expression changed.
"The police located the storage space Mercer described."
Luca turned immediately.
"The box?"
"It's been recovered."
My heart began racing.
"Is everything inside?"
"The investigators are documenting the contents."
Naomi looked directly at Luca.
"There's a recording among the materials."
Luca went still.
"What recording?"
"Your father."
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Naomi continued.
"The opening identifies him by name."
She paused.
"And it appears he made the statement shortly before his death."
Luca stared toward the darkened apartments.
"What does he say?"
Naomi hesitated.
"I've only been told the beginning."
"Tell me."
She took a breath.
"The recording begins with him accepting responsibility for the original property transactions."
Luca's face lost its color.
I watched him struggle to speak.
Then Naomi repeated the first documented line.
"My name is Salvatore Moretti, and I approved the signatures that took innocent families from their homes."
Luca closed his eyes.
May you like
The man who had spent his life defending his father's name finally faced the truth his father had left behind.
And standing among the families who had suffered, he could no longer pretend the past belonged to someone else.
