Chapter 6 - THE BANK DEPOSIT SLIP
The library was dead silent except for the rain lashing against the broken window.
The police captain stared at the paper Toby had thrown.
Vanessa’s confident smile faltered.
“Captain,” she said, her voice tight. “What is that? Give it to me.”
She reached for the paper, but the captain stepped back, pulling it out of her reach.
“Ms. Bellini,” the captain said, his tone suddenly shifting from compliant to highly suspicious. “Are you aware of what this is?”
“It’s a child’s scribble,” Vanessa snapped. “Take the boy and arrest Moretti.”
The captain didn’t move.
He looked at Luca.
“Mr. Moretti. This is a certified bank deposit slip from 1996. From the First National Bank of Chicago.”
Luca frowned. “A deposit slip?”
“For five million dollars,” the captain read. “Deposited into a trust account under the name Vanessa Bellini.”
Vanessa went completely rigid.
“That’s forged,” she said quickly. Too quickly.
The captain turned the slip over.
“There’s a handwritten note on the back. It’s notarized.”
He cleared his throat and read aloud.
‘Payment received in full for the structural fire at the Moretti Estate. Matteo Moretti is presumed dead. The secret remains mine.’
The captain looked up.
“It’s signed by Catherine Bellini. Your mother, Vanessa.”
The air in the room felt heavy, suffocating.
I looked at Vanessa. The elegant, untouchable woman was suddenly sweating.
“My mother died ten years ago,” Vanessa said, her voice shaking. “That piece of paper proves nothing.”
“It proves motive,” Luca said.
He took a slow step toward Vanessa. The police officers didn’t stop him this time.
“Your mother burned my house down to kill my brother,” Luca said, his voice vibrating with a terrifying, contained fury. “Because if Matteo died, the Moretti empire would fall to me. And you were already positioned to marry me.”
“You’re crazy,” Vanessa whispered, backing toward the door.
“But Matteo didn’t die,” Luca continued, cornering her. “He survived the fire. He hid because he knew your family was trying to kill him. He had a son. Toby.”
I finally understood.
“My father didn’t kidnap Toby,” I said, stepping forward. “My father was Matteo’s friend. When Matteo died, my father hid Toby in the boarding school to keep him safe from you.”
Vanessa’s eyes darted around the room. She was looking for an exit.
“Captain,” Vanessa demanded. “I am a respected member of this community. You work for me. Arrest them!”
The captain looked at the signed confession from Vanessa’s mother.
Then he looked at the forged affidavit with my name on it.
He pulled his radio from his belt.
“Dispatch. Send detectives to the St. Jude Boarding School. We have evidence of a historical homicide, and present-day fraud.”
Vanessa realized she had lost.
Her polished mask shattered completely.
She lunged forward, grabbing Toby by the arm.
The boy screamed, dropping his backpack.
Vanessa pulled a small, silver derringer pistol from her designer purse and pressed it against Toby’s side.
“Nobody move!” she shrieked.
The police officers drew their weapons, shouting commands.
“Drop the gun, Bellini!”
Luca froze. The rage in his eyes was replaced by absolute terror for the boy.
“Vanessa,” Luca said, raising his hands slowly. “Let him go. You want the estate? Take it. Just let the boy walk to me.”
“I don’t want the estate anymore, Luca,” Vanessa spat, backing toward the broken window. “I want you to hurt. Your family ruined mine. My mother spent her whole life trying to destroy yours, and I’m going to finish the job.”
She dragged Toby backward. The rain whipped through the window, soaking her hair.
“Emma,” Luca whispered to me, not taking his eyes off Vanessa.
I knew what he needed.
I slowly slid my foot across the floor, catching the edge of Toby’s fallen backpack.
I kicked it hard.
The heavy leather bag slid across the floor and slammed into Vanessa’s high heels.
She stumbled backward.
Her grip on Toby loosened for a fraction of a second.
Luca moved faster than I could process.
He lunged forward, grabbing Toby and shielding the boy with his own body.
A gunshot rang out, deafening in the stone room.
Luca grunted, twisting hard as he fell to the floor, wrapping Toby safely in his arms.
I screamed.
Vanessa stood there, the smoking gun in her hand, staring in shock at what she had just done.
Before she could raise the weapon again, the police tackled her to the ground.
I dropped to my knees beside Luca.
Blood was soaking through the shoulder of his white dress shirt.
“Luca!” I cried, pressing my hands over the wound.
He didn’t look at the blood.
He looked down at Toby, who was crying but completely unharmed.
Luca managed a weak, relieved smile.
“I got you, buddy,” Luca whispered. “You’re safe now.”
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Then Luca’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed against the stone floor.
TITLE: THE WAKE OF THE STORM
