Chapter 9 - The Man Alessandro Trusted More Than His Own Brother

Alessandro listened to the sentence again.

And Alessandro trusts him.

Not her.

A man.

Paolo stood at San Luca.

Cesare Romano was never trusted by Alessandro.

Don Ricci was.

Claire saw the conclusion hit him.

“No,” Alessandro said.

Caterina remained silent.

Claire understood why.

Don Ricci had known the old vault system. He had controlled the trust paying Viviana. He had appeared at the engagement dinner. He had reacted to Daniel’s name. He had guided them toward evidence at every stage.

Too much knowledge could mean loyalty.

Or control.

Alessandro called him.

No answer.

He called again.

Nothing.

Paolo came on the line.

“Ricci left San Luca forty minutes ago. Said he was returning to the villa.”

“Did he take anything?”

“The original recorder.”

Alessandro’s face hardened.

“You let him?”

“He is Don Ricci.”

“That is not an answer.”

“It was until tonight.”

Claire grabbed her coat.

“We go back.”

Caterina said, “Viviana first.”

Alessandro turned.

“Ricci may have the only original evidence Daniel left.”

“And if he is the man Daniel feared, he already knows you are suspicious.”

Claire looked between them.

“What is closer?”

“Viviana,” Caterina said. “Forty minutes.”

“Then we go there. If she knows what Ricci did, we need that before confronting him.”

Caterina drove.

Viviana Moretti lived in a lakeside apartment under the name Ana Morin. She opened the door only after Caterina spoke a childhood phrase in Italian.

She was seventy-one, thin, with white hair cut short.

When Claire said Daniel’s name, Viviana began to cry.

“I told him to leave it alone.”

“Everyone did,” Claire said.

Viviana invited them in.

Her apartment contained almost nothing personal.

No photographs.

No letters.

A life designed to be abandoned quickly.

Alessandro stood before her.

“Did Don Ricci kill Matteo?”

Viviana flinched.

“No.”

“Did he help?”

“No.”

“Then why did Daniel say I trusted Matteo’s killer?”

Viviana looked at Claire.

“Because Daniel misunderstood one thing.”

Claire’s patience broke.

“Then correct it.”

Viviana walked to a cabinet and removed a sealed plastic envelope.

Inside was a photograph of Matteo Moretti standing beside a yacht.

A younger Paolo Ferri stood behind him.

So did another man.

Alessandro recognized him immediately.

“Gianni Serra.”

Claire knew the name.

Gianni had been Alessandro’s chief legal adviser for twelve years. He had drafted the Moretti-Romano engagement merger. He had collected the guests’ phones after the rabbit broke.

He was still at Villa Moretti.

With Emma.

Claire’s blood went cold.

She pulled out her phone and called Rosa.

No answer.

Again.

Nothing.

Alessandro was already calling security.

A guard answered.

His voice was confused.

“Signore, Avvocato Serra told us you authorized a change.”

“What change?”

“He moved Mrs. Bennett’s daughter to the inner guest wing. He said there was a threat.”

Claire stopped breathing.

“Put Rosa on.”

“She went with them.”

Alessandro’s voice became lethal.

“Listen carefully. Lock every exterior gate. Do not confront Serra. Find Rosa and the child visually. Call me back.”

He ended the call.

Claire turned to Viviana.

“Tell us everything now.”

Viviana did.

Matteo had discovered Gate Four and confronted Luca Vieri. But Vieri had not killed him. Gianni Serra had.

At the time, Serra was a junior lawyer tasked with containing family scandals. He secretly worked with Cesare Romano to protect the smuggling route. When Matteo threatened to go to prosecutors, Serra sabotaged the steering on Matteo’s boat and paid a mechanic to falsify inspection records.

“How do you know?” Alessandro asked.

“I saw the payment authorization.”

“Why did you not testify?”

“Your father found out after Matteo died. He wanted revenge. Ricci stopped him because killing Serra would start a war with Romano. Instead they hid me and tried to collect proof.”

Claire stared.

“Then why is Serra still Alessandro’s lawyer?”

Viviana’s face twisted.

“Because they never proved it. And because Cesare gave Serra evidence of Moretti crimes. He made himself untouchable.”

Alessandro looked physically ill.

“He stood beside me at Matteo’s memorial.”

“Yes.”

“He handled my father’s estate.”

“Yes.”

“He drafted my engagement.”

“Yes.”

Claire understood the pattern.

Serra did not merely survive scandals.

He positioned himself where every secret passed through his hands.

Daniel’s message had been correct.

Alessandro trusted him.

The phone rang.

The guard.

Alessandro put it on speaker.

“We found Signora Rosa.”

Claire’s knees weakened.

“Emma?”

The guard hesitated.

“Not with her.”

Claire’s voice sharpened.

“Where is my daughter?”

“Rosa was locked in a pantry. She says Serra took Emma through the east garage.”

Alessandro closed his eyes once.

Claire heard herself ask, “How long ago?”

“Twenty-two minutes.”

Viviana whispered, “He knows about me now.”

Alessandro looked at her.

“What?”

“If Serra took the child, he is not running randomly.”

Viviana went to the window.

“He knows Daniel built a second copy of the evidence.”

Claire’s heart slammed against her ribs.

“Where?”

Viviana looked at the damaged blue rabbit Claire still carried in her bag.

“Not inside the rabbit.”

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She pointed to the toy.

“Inside the song.”