Chapter 4 - The Man Everyone Blamed|
Samuel Bennett opened his apartment door wearing a faded brown sweater.
His hair had gone almost completely gray.
Deep lines marked his face.
And his hands, once steady enough to guide working dogs through collapsed buildings, trembled slightly against the doorframe.
When he saw his daughter, he smiled.
“Claire.”
Then he noticed the man standing behind her.
The smile disappeared.
“Dominic Moretti.”
Dominic lowered his head slightly.
“Mr. Bennett.”
Samuel looked toward the hallway.
“What are you doing here?”
Claire stepped forward.
“Dad, we found something.”
Samuel's expression changed.
“What?”
“Bruno led us to the greenhouse.”
For several seconds, her father didn't move.
Then he whispered, “Captain?”
Claire nodded.
“He remembered.”
Samuel pressed a hand against the doorframe.
His eyes filled.
“Oh, good boy.”
Dominic watched him.
Nine years earlier, Dominic had stood in a courtroom and listened while Samuel Bennett was convicted.
He remembered hating the man.
He remembered thinking no punishment could ever equal the pain of losing Emily.
Now Samuel stood before him looking like someone who had already been punished every day of his life.
“May we come in?” Dominic asked.
Samuel hesitated.
Then moved aside.
The apartment was small but clean.
A stack of veterinary books sat beside the television.
Photographs of Claire as a child covered the walls.
On a narrow shelf stood a picture of a younger Samuel holding a German shepherd puppy.
Dominic recognized the dog.
“Bruno.”
Samuel nodded.
“Before your sister renamed him.”
Dominic frowned.
“Renamed him?”
Samuel smiled sadly.
“His official name was Bruno. Emily called him Captain whenever she wanted to pretend she was leading a rescue mission.”
Claire looked toward her father.
“You never told me that.”
Samuel lowered his eyes.
“Some memories hurt.”
They sat at the kitchen table.
Dominic placed a copy of the photograph before Samuel.
The older man's expression changed immediately.
“Where did you find this?”
“Under the greenhouse floor.”
Samuel stared at it.
Then covered his mouth.
Dominic leaned forward.
“Vincent says you hid it.”
Samuel slowly nodded.
“I did.”
Claire felt her breath catch.
“Dad?”
He looked at her.
“I couldn't tell you everything.”
“Why?”
His eyes filled.
“Because I was afraid they'd hurt you.”
Dominic stared.
“Who?”
Samuel touched Martin Vale's face in the photograph.
“That man.”
He took a shaky breath.
“Martin Vale was using the estate grounds to move things your father didn't know about.”
“What things?”
“Cases. Equipment. Sometimes documents. I never saw inside them.”
Dominic's expression hardened.
“Why didn't you report it?”
“I did.”
Samuel looked down.
“To Antonio.”
Dominic went still.
“My father knew?”
“He'd started asking questions. He told me to document anything unusual.”
Samuel touched the photograph again.
“Emily noticed the van because it came through the service entrance while she was playing with Bruno.”
Claire swallowed.
“She took the photographs?”
“Yes. She had one of those disposable cameras your father bought her for her birthday.”
Dominic remembered.
Emily had carried it everywhere.
Samuel continued.
“She told me she had pictures of men doing something secret. I told her to stay away from the greenhouse.”
His voice broke.
“But children don't always understand danger.”
Dominic closed his eyes.
“What happened that night?”
Samuel stared at his hands.
“There was a storm. The power went out near the garden. I checked the gate, and it was locked.”
He looked toward Claire.
“I told the truth about that.”
She nodded through tears.
“I know, Dad.”
Samuel continued.
“Bruno started barking near the greenhouse. I followed him. The door was locked, but I heard something inside.”
Dominic leaned forward.
“Emily?”
Samuel nodded.
“She was crying.”
The room became silent.
“I called for help. Vincent arrived with Martin.”
Samuel swallowed.
“Martin had a key.”
Dominic's jaw tightened.
“They opened it?”
“Yes.”
“What did you see?”
Samuel's hands began shaking harder.
“Emily was lying near the planting table. She was cold, barely conscious. There was water on the floor from a broken pipe.”
Dominic stared.
“Was she injured?”
“I saw a bruise near her temple. I told them to call an ambulance.”
His voice cracked.
“But Martin said he'd handle it.”
“Why didn't you stop him?”
Samuel looked at Dominic with tears in his eyes.
“I tried.”
Silence.
“He pushed me away. Vincent held me back. They said your father wanted the situation handled privately.”
Dominic's expression hardened.
“Did you believe them?”
“No.”
Samuel began crying.
“But they had men waiting outside. They threatened my wife and daughter.”
Claire covered her mouth.
Samuel looked at her.
“You were sixteen, sweetheart.”
His voice broke.
“They told me if I spoke, they could make you disappear.”
Claire began crying.
Dominic stared at the older man.
Then asked quietly, “What happened to Emily?”
Samuel lowered his head.
“I don't know what they did after they took her out of the greenhouse.”
Dominic closed his eyes.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Samuel continued.
“The next morning, the police said she'd been found in the lake.”
He swallowed.
“I knew something was wrong.”
Dominic looked at him.
“Why didn't you tell them?”
“I tried. I told the first detective.”
“What did he say?”
“That I was changing my story to avoid responsibility.”
Samuel wiped his eyes.
“Then the photographs disappeared from my locker. The security records were gone. And Vincent testified that I'd left the gate unlocked.”
Claire reached for her father's hand.
He held it tightly.
Dominic looked toward the window.
For nine years, he'd believed Samuel had taken his sister away.
Now he was beginning to understand that Samuel might have been the only man who tried to save her.
“Mr. Bennett,” Dominic said quietly, “I'm sorry.”
Samuel looked up.
Dominic's voice trembled.
“I should have asked more questions.”
Samuel shook his head.
“You were grieving.”
“That doesn't excuse what happened to you.”
The older man stared at him.
Then whispered, “I didn't need you to believe I was perfect.”
His voice broke.
“I just needed someone to believe I tried.”
Claire began sobbing.
Dominic lowered his head.
Then Samuel reached into a kitchen drawer.
He removed a small envelope.
“I've kept this for nine years.”
Dominic stared.
“What is it?”
Samuel placed the envelope on the table.
“Something Emily gave me the afternoon before she disappeared.”
Inside was a photograph of Bruno wearing his red ribbon.
May you like
On the back, written in Emily's uneven handwriting, were six words.
IF I GET SCARED, CAPTAIN KNOWS.
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