Chapter 3 - The Ghost of Sarah Moretti
The words on the yellowed paper seemed to suck all the warmth out of the room.
Luca stood entirely motionless, staring at his late wife’s handwriting. His jaw clenched so hard that a muscle in his cheek twitched violently.
“Claire,” Luca said, his voice deadly calm. “Take Lily into the kitchen. Make her some tea.”
“No, Daddy!” Lily cried, clutching his coat. “What did Mommy write? Was Mommy talking about Vanessa?”
Luca knelt down and took Lily’s small face between his hands. The fury in his eyes vanished, replaced by an overwhelming tenderness. “Your mom loved you more than the entire world, Lily. She left us instructions on how to keep you safe. Claire is going to show you the kitchen, okay? Let Daddy read this first.”
Lily looked at him with big, solemn eyes, then slowly nodded.
I took Lily’s hand and guided her down the narrow hallway into the small, immaculate kitchen. I found a copper kettle, filled it with water from the faucet, and lit the gas stove. My hands were shaking so hard I dropped the box of matches twice.
Vanessa succeeded in killing me.
The phrase echoed in my skull. Five years ago, Sarah Moretti’s car had plunged off the sharp cliffside turn on Route 9. The police ruled it a brake failure due to mechanical neglect. Luca had spent an entire year tearing through the city looking for foul play, but every investigation came back empty.
Eventually, the Bellini family—one of the oldest allied families in the syndicate—consoled him. Vanessa Bellini had entered his life, playing the role of the devoted, supportive partner who wanted to help him rebuild his broken life.
And it was all a lie. A calculated, five-year betrayal.
In the living room, I heard the faint click of a cassette player starting.
Daniel had brought a portable tape player from the vehicle.
A static hiss filled the silence of the house, followed by the sound of Sarah’s voice.
“Luca... if you hear this, I am already gone.”
Lily froze at the kitchen table, her cup halfway to her mouth. “That’s Mom.”
I stood beside Lily, placing a hand gently on her shoulder, listening intently to the haunting voice coming from the hallway.
“I found out three weeks ago,” Sarah’s voice continued, breathy, frightened, yet resolute. “Salvatore Bellini and Vanessa have been secretly funneling our family’s port shipments through their private docks in Boston. They’ve been cutting our men out of the supply chain. When I uncovered the hidden financial accounts on Luca’s server, I went to Vanessa directly, thinking she was my friend. I thought we could solve it before a war broke out.”
A ragged breath sounded on the recording.
“That was my mistake. Vanessa threatened Lily. She looked me in the eye and said that if I told you, Lily would never make it to her third birthday. I’ve bought this cottage in Vanessa’s name using her stolen LLC credentials to leave a paper trail that links her to my disappearance. I’m hiding all the bank records inside this safe. Tomorrow, I’m going to meet Salvatore to beg for Lily’s life. If my car doesn’t make it back... Luca, do not trust the Bellinis. Protect our daughter.”
The tape ended with a sharp click.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
I walked to the kitchen doorway and peered into the living room.
Luca was standing over the opened safe. In his hands were thick ledgers filled with numbers, bank account routes, and offshore trust documents.
His face was an emotionless mask of terrifying composure. That was the most frightening thing about Luca Moretti. When he was slightly annoyed, he yelled. But when he was ready to burn the entire world to ash, he became as quiet as a graveyard.
“Daniel,” Luca said softly.
“Yes, boss?”
“Call Marco and the inner circle. Mobilize all four teams. Surround the Bellini manor. Cut their communications, block their private airfield, and intercept Salvatore if he tries to leave his estate.”
“Consider it done,” Daniel said, pulling out his encrypted phone and walking toward the front porch to make the calls.
Luca turned toward the kitchen. When his eyes met mine, I saw the raw, bleeding agony beneath his iron exterior. He had welcomed his wife’s murderer into his home. He had let that woman hold his daughter.
He walked into the kitchen and sat down across from Lily.
“Dad?” Lily asked softly. “Is Vanessa a bad person?”
Luca reached across the table and took Lily’s small hands into his own. “Vanessa is not going to be in our lives anymore, sweetheart. Not ever again.”
“Did she hurt Mom?”
Luca looked at me for a split second, seeking the right words.
“Your mother was the bravest woman I ever knew,” Luca told his daughter gently. “And she made sure that no matter what happened, she would always protect you. This house... this is yours. Your mother built it for you.”
Lily looked around the cozy kitchen, the fear in her eyes gradually giving way to a quiet comfort. “I like it here, Dad. It smells like her.”
Suddenly, the front door burst open.
Daniel sprinted back inside, his weapon drawn, his face pale.
“Boss! We have a problem!”
Luca stood instantly, moving his body between the doorway and his daughter. “What is it?”
“A convoy of three black Suburbans just entered Willow Street,” Daniel reported rapidly. “They’re not our men. Salvatore Bellini didn’t wait for us to find him—they had a tracker placed on Vanessa’s phone, and they followed our satellite signal straight to this location!”
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Outside, tires screeched against the wet pavement.
Heavy car doors slammed shut in the dark.
