Chapter 5 - The Housemaid Who Found the Missing Notebook|
Three years earlier, Caroline Moretti had died in a private hospital outside Chicago.
Officially, it was a sudden medical complication.
Luca had been told the doctors did everything possible.
He attended the funeral.
Buried his wife.
And spent the following years trying to raise Benjamin while managing an empire that never allowed him to grieve.
Now he stood in Caroline's old dressing room holding a piece of blue leather marked with her hospital room number.
Something about his expression frightened me.
Not because he was angry.
Because he was remembering.
"Claire," he whispered, "Caroline hated that hospital."
I looked up.
"Why?"
"She said something was wrong with the way they handled patient records."
My stomach tightened.
"What kind of records?"
"Billing. Insurance. Private medical files."
He looked toward the window.
"She worked in medical administration before we married."
I hadn't known that.
In the mansion, Caroline's memory existed mostly in photographs.
A beautiful woman in silk dresses.
A loving mother.
A gentle wife.
But now I was learning she had been more than that.
She had been intelligent.
Observant.
And perhaps involved in something dangerous.
Luca continued.
"Two weeks before she died, she told me she wanted to speak to a lawyer."
I stared.
"About what?"
He shook his head.
"I didn't ask enough questions."
His voice broke.
"I was leaving for New York."
I looked away.
He continued.
"She asked me to stay home that evening. I told her I'd be back in two days."
Silence.
Then he whispered:
"I never saw her conscious again."
My heart tightened.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then Luca looked at the torn notebook cover.
"Why would she write her hospital room number on this?"
I considered the question.
"Maybe the number wasn't written by Caroline."
He looked at me.
"What?"
"Maybe someone else wrote it after she died."
His expression changed.
He nodded slowly.
"That's possible."
He turned toward Marco, who had followed us upstairs.
"Preserve the room. I want the notebook found through proper investigation."
Marco nodded.
"Understood."
Then I remembered something.
"Mr. Moretti?"
Luca turned.
"Yes?"
"Benjamin once told me his mother hid a little book inside one of his toys."
The room went completely still.
Luca stared.
"What?"
I swallowed.
"It was months ago. We were cleaning his room, and he said Mommy used to hide things inside his stuffed bear."
Luca's face changed.
"Which bear?"
"The brown one with the pink ribbon."
The same ribbon Benjamin had placed beside his father's plate.
Luca looked toward the hallway.
For a moment, I thought he'd rush to Benjamin's room.
Instead, he stopped.
Then looked at me.
"Would you help me ask him tomorrow?"
The question surprised me.
He wasn't demanding access.
He wasn't treating his son's possessions as something he could search without explanation.
He was thinking about how Benjamin might feel.
I nodded.
"Of course."
The following morning, Benjamin woke unusually cheerful.
Mrs. Carter made pancakes.
Luca joined him for breakfast.
And I watched something happen that I had never seen in eleven months.
The feared Luca Moretti turned off his phone.
Not silent mode.
Off.
Benjamin noticed.
"Daddy?"
"Yes?"
"Are you sick?"
Luca laughed.
"No, sweetheart."
"Then why aren't you working?"
Luca's smile faded slightly.
He looked at his son.
"Because I want to spend time with you."
Benjamin stared.
Then smiled.
The expression nearly broke my heart.
After breakfast, Luca asked if they could look through some of Benjamin's old toys together.
Benjamin agreed immediately.
We went upstairs.
His bedroom was bright with morning sunlight.
There were books about astronomy.
Model airplanes.
A small collection of dinosaurs.
And the brown stuffed bear sitting beside his pillow.
Benjamin picked it up.
"Mommy gave me this."
Luca nodded.
"I remember."
Benjamin touched the pink ribbon.
"She said he was brave."
I smiled.
"He's a very brave bear."
Benjamin looked at me.
Then at Luca.
"Mommy put a secret inside him."
Luca's expression changed.
"What secret?"
Benjamin frowned.
"I don't know."
"Would it be okay if we looked?"
He thought about it.
Then nodded.
"Yes."
We examined the bear carefully.
One seam along its back looked newer than the others.
Luca asked permission to open it.
Benjamin agreed.
Marco arranged for the item to be documented before anyone disturbed it.
Then a small opening revealed a thin waterproof pouch.
Inside was a folded letter.
And a tiny digital storage device.
Luca stared.
His hands began trembling.
He opened the letter.
Caroline's handwriting covered the page.
My dearest Luca,
If you're reading this, it means something happened before I could tell you the truth.
Please forgive me for keeping secrets.
I was trying to protect Benjamin.
Luca covered his mouth.
I looked away.
He continued reading.
I discovered unusual payments connected to the Bellini family.
Some of the money is being moved through a private medical organization.
I believe someone has been using patient records to conceal the transfers.
My stomach tightened.
Richard Bellini.
Vanessa's father.
The man who arranged the supposed school placement.
The man whose name appeared repeatedly in Luca's business dealings.
Then Luca reached the final paragraph.
His face drained of color.
If Richard ever approaches you about marriage, business, or Benjamin's future, do not trust him.
Luca stopped breathing.
At the bottom was one final sentence.
And Luca, if anything happens to me, ask why your brother was at the hospital that night.
I stared.
Luca slowly lowered the letter.
His brother?
I hadn't known he had a brother.
Then Marco whispered:
"Boss..."
Luca closed his eyes.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Finally, he answered:
"Michael."
The name hung between us.
Then Marco added:
"Sir, your brother has been missing for seven years."
Luca looked toward the window.
May you like
His voice became quiet.
"That's what we were told."
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