Chapter 5 - THE BROTHER WHO BOUGHT HER SILENCE
"You paid for Anthony to leave?"
Luca's voice was quiet enough to frighten Vanessa more than shouting would have.
She stared at Marco's phone.
"I bought the ticket because he threatened to expose something about my father."
"That doesn't explain why you helped him escape."
"I didn't know he was leaving permanently."
Luca stepped away from the table.
For years, he had trusted two people with everything that mattered most.
His brother.
And the woman who had promised to help raise Sophie.
Now their lies were tangled together.
Emily glanced toward Sophie.
The girl had gone very still.
"Mr. Moretti," Emily said, "maybe we should continue this somewhere Sophie doesn't have to hear it."
Luca looked at his daughter.
Emily was right.
He had spent so much of the evening chasing answers that he had forgotten how frightening those answers must sound to a child.
He knelt before Sophie.
"Would you feel better upstairs?"
"Can Emily come?"
"If she'd like to."
Emily nodded.
"Of course."
Sophie took her hand.
But as they reached the doorway, she stopped.
"Daddy?"
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Please don't let Uncle Anthony come here."
Luca's face softened.
"He won't come near you without my permission."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
Upstairs, Emily helped Sophie change into pajamas.
The girl placed her damaged white rabbit beside her pillow.
For a while, neither spoke.
Then Sophie touched Emily's left arm.
"Does it still hurt?"
"Sometimes."
"Because of me?"
Emily sat beside her.
"No, honey. Because there was a fire. You didn't cause it."
Sophie considered that.
"Vanessa said people got hurt because I didn't listen."
Emily felt her throat tighten.
"That wasn't true."
"She said I should be grateful she kept me safe."
Emily looked at the little girl she had carried through a broken window four years earlier.
"You were eight. It was the adults' responsibility to keep you safe."
Sophie leaned against her shoulder.
"Will you still work here tomorrow?"
Emily hesitated.
"I hope so."
"Good."
Downstairs, Luca confronted Vanessa again.
This time Marco remained beside the door.
"What does Anthony know about your father?"
Vanessa rubbed her temples.
"My father invested in a property development company with Robert Kessler. They lost millions."
"And?"
"Anthony offered to help them recover the money."
"Using Isabella's estate?"
Vanessa looked up sharply.
Luca understood immediately.
"My wife's property was collateral."
"I didn't know that at first."
"Did you know before the fire?"
Vanessa didn't answer.
Luca turned away.
He remembered Isabella's final wishes.
The lake house and a trust containing several million dollars had been left for Sophie.
Luca had never needed the money.
He had allowed Anthony to oversee the paperwork because he trusted his brother.
Now he wondered what else Anthony had controlled.
Marco opened an old account ledger on his tablet.
"Mr. Moretti, I found something unusual."
"What?"
"The day before the fire, someone initiated a transfer from the estate's property reserve."
"How much?"
"Three million, eight hundred thousand dollars."
Luca stared at the screen.
"To whom?"
"A holding company associated with Kessler."
Vanessa covered her mouth.
"Anthony told me it was temporary."
Luca looked at her.
"You knew."
"He said he'd return the money before you discovered it."
"Why was Sophie involved?"
Vanessa's voice trembled.
"She saw Anthony and Kessler arguing over the paperwork."
"And you locked her in her room?"
"I thought Anthony would leave before she came downstairs."
Luca studied her.
It was the first explanation that fit several facts.
But it still didn't explain the fire.
Marco's phone displayed an incoming message from the investigator checking Anthony's properties.
He read it, then looked up.
"We found the maintenance contractor's old employment records."
Luca waited.
"His name was Peter Walsh."
Vanessa suddenly stood.
"No."
Marco continued.
"Walsh was dismissed three days after the fire. His final paycheck was authorized by Anthony."
"Where is he now?"
"Milwaukee. He runs a small equipment repair shop."
Luca reached for his coat.
"Arrange a meeting."
Vanessa grabbed his sleeve.
"Luca, listen to me."
He pulled away.
"What?"
"Peter Walsh didn't start the fire."
Luca stared at her.
"How can you possibly know?"
Vanessa's eyes filled.
"Because I watched the first flames."
Silence settled over the room.
Then Luca asked the question she had avoided for four years.
"Where were you standing?"
Vanessa whispered, "At the top of the back staircase."
"And what were you holding?"
May you like
She lowered her eyes.
"A box of matches."
