Chapter 4 - A House Full of Liars

By noon, Elena owned one borrowed sweater, a pair of jeans Celeste found in a guest-room closet, and a black ledger that had already made three people lie to her.

She sat at the Moretti kitchen table while Leo ate cereal across from her.

“You live here now?” he asked.

“No.”

“Papa said your apartment burned.”

Elena looked toward Dante, who stood near the coffee machine reading a message.

“Your papa talks too much.”

Leo frowned.

“He barely talks.”

“That makes it worse when he does.”

Dante looked up.

“You are welcome to find a safer hotel.”

“Is that a sincere invitation?”

“No.”

Leo laughed.

The sound startled all three of them.

Dante’s face changed.

Elena realized he did not hear his son laugh often.

Leo returned to his cereal as if nothing had happened.

Nico entered carrying a folder.

“The apartment fire was electrical, according to the first inspector.”

Elena stared at him.

“Convenient.”

“Very. Especially because the breaker panel was opened with a screwdriver.”

Dante set down his coffee.

“Cameras?”

“One street camera caught a vehicle leaving two minutes before smoke appeared. Plates stolen.”

“Driver?”

“Hidden.”

Elena asked, “Any red-stitched watch?”

“No.”

Leo looked between them.

“What watch?”

“Nothing you need to worry about,” Dante said.

Leo’s spoon hit the bowl.

“You say that when I should worry.”

Dante opened his mouth, then closed it.

Elena covered a smile.

Nico handed Dante the folder.

“Background on every person who entered the dining room last night.”

“Include family.”

Nico hesitated.

Dante’s eyes narrowed.

“I said everyone.”

“Vittorio will not enjoy that.”

“I am not conducting this for his enjoyment.”

Elena watched Nico.

“You don’t want to investigate him.”

“That’s not what I said.”

“You paused.”

Nico looked at her.

“You notice too much.”

“So do you.”

Dante opened the ledger.

“We need to understand Harbor Renewal Holdings.”

Nico sat.

“It dissolved fifteen years ago. Subsidiaries were absorbed by three different companies.”

“Owned by?” Elena asked.

“One became a Moretti real-estate arm. One was sold. One disappeared in bankruptcy.”

“Disappeared?”

“Corporate shell collapsed. Records incomplete.”

Dante tapped an entry.

“V.M. received repeated transfers coded HARBOR.”

Elena said, “Vittorio Moretti.”

“Likely.”

“And A.M.?”

“Antonio Moretti.”

“Your father.”

“Yes.”

Leo pushed away his bowl.

“Uncle Vito has a watch with red stitches.”

No one moved.

Dante slowly turned.

“What did you say?”

Leo looked uncertain.

“His watch.”

Elena’s pulse spiked.

“Rectangular face?”

Leo nodded.

“Black.”

Dante crouched beside his son.

“Have you seen Uncle Vito wear it recently?”

“Yesterday.”

“During dinner?”

Leo thought.

“Before.”

“Where?”

“In the hall with the fish painting.”

Nico said, “West service corridor.”

Dante’s face hardened.

“What was he doing?”

“Talking to a man.”

“What man?”

“Gray shirt.”

Elena’s skin went cold.

Dante asked, “Did the man have dark hair?”

Leo nodded.

“Did you hear what they said?”

“No. Uncle Vito saw me and gave me chocolate.”

Elena exchanged a look with Nico.

Dante stood.

“Get Vittorio here.”

Nico did not move.

“Dante.”

“Now.”

“Think about this.”

“I am.”

“You bring him here and accuse him based on a six-year-old’s memory, you warn him.”

Elena said, “Nico’s right.”

Dante looked at her.

“You want him unguarded.”

“I want him comfortable.”

Nico nodded slowly.

“Dinner tonight. Family only.”

Dante’s jaw tightened.

“Use my son as bait?”

“No,” Elena said. “Use me.”

Dante’s answer was immediate.

“No.”

“You don’t get to decide.”

“You are in my house because someone burned yours.”

“Exactly. Whoever is doing this already knows I found something. Let them think I don’t know enough.”

Nico said, “She has a point.”

Dante gave him a look sharp enough to cut glass.

Nico lifted both hands.

“Strategically.”

Elena leaned forward.

“Invite Vittorio. Let him see me alive, scared, confused. Let him believe the ledger burned in the apartment.”

“And if he is innocent?”

“Then he will react like an innocent man.”

Dante looked at the ledger.

“People in my family have not reacted like innocent men in generations.”

“That is not my problem.”

“No,” he said. “Unfortunately, it is becoming exactly your problem.”

That evening, the Moretti dining room felt nothing like the hotel.

No chandeliers. No staff moving silently around powerful guests. Just a long walnut table, eight chairs, and a family that had spent years learning how to hide knives behind manners.

Vittorio arrived at seven.

He kissed Celeste’s cheek.

He hugged Leo.

Then he saw Elena.

For half a second, he stopped.

It was enough.

“Elena,” Dante said. “My uncle, Vittorio Moretti.”

Vittorio smiled.

“The brave waitress.”

“Former waitress, apparently.”

“I heard about your apartment. Terrible.”

“News travels quickly.”

“In this family, bad news travels faster.”

Elena looked at his wrist.

Gold watch. Round face. Brown strap.

Not the one from the video.

Vittorio noticed her glance.

“Do you like it?”

“My father used to say a watch tells you what a man values.”

“And what does this one say?”

“That you want people to know it was expensive.”

Celeste choked on water.

Dante stared at his plate.

Vittorio laughed.

“I like her.”

“You liked her before you met her?” Dante asked.

The table quieted.

Vittorio’s smile remained.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Leo saw you speaking to a temporary server before dinner.”

“Did he?”

“In the west corridor.”

“I spoke to half the staff.”

“Why?”

“I was hosting guests.”

“It was my event.”

Vittorio leaned back.

“You invited me to dinner to question me?”

“No,” Dante said. “I invited you because Elena found Marco Russo’s ledger.”

Elena’s head snapped toward him.

That was not the plan.

Vittorio’s face went utterly still.

Dante watched him.

There.

Fear.

Not surprise.

Fear.

“What ledger?” Vittorio asked.

Elena answered.

“The one my mother hid for sixteen years.”

Vittorio reached for his wine.

His hand did not shake.

“Marco kept many books.”

“You remember that?”

“I remember Marco.”

“Do you remember B-17?”

The wine glass stopped halfway to his mouth.

Celeste whispered, “Dante.”

Dante ignored her.

Vittorio set the glass down.

“I have no idea what that is.”

Elena looked at Celeste.

The older woman had gone pale.

“You do,” Elena said.

Celeste’s eyes filled with something like grief.

“Elena, not here.”

“Why does everyone keep telling me not here, not now, not yet?”

Leo looked frightened.

Dante noticed.

“Leo, go upstairs.”

“No.”

“Now.”

Celeste stood.

“I’ll take him.”

As she passed Elena, she whispered, “Please.”

Elena watched them leave.

Then she turned back to Vittorio.

“My father said Harbor money went somewhere else. Where?”

Vittorio’s gaze moved to Dante.

“You are allowing this?”

Dante’s voice was flat.

“I am asking the same question.”

Vittorio stood.

“I will not sit here and be accused by a server because Marco Russo taught his daughter to hate our name.”

“My father taught me how to balance a checkbook and make tomato sauce. Men with your name taught me fear all by themselves.”

Vittorio stepped toward her.

Dante rose instantly.

“Sit down.”

The words landed like a door slamming.

Vittorio stared at his nephew.

Something old and ugly passed between them.

“You sound like your father,” Vittorio said.

Dante’s jaw tightened.

“Sit.”

Vittorio did.

Nico entered from the hall.

He held a small evidence bag.

“Found something.”

Dante looked at him.

“What?”

Nico placed the bag on the table.

Inside was a watch.

Rectangular black face. Silver case. Red stitching.

Elena’s breath caught.

Vittorio stared.

Dante’s voice became very quiet.

“Where?”

Nico answered, “In the garage. Under the passenger seat of Vittorio’s car.”

Vittorio stood so fast his chair fell backward.

“That is not mine.”

Leo’s voice came from the doorway.

“Yes, it is.”

Everyone turned.

Celeste stood behind him, horrified.

Leo pointed at the watch.

“You wore it yesterday.”

Vittorio’s face changed.

Not guilt.

Panic.

He looked at Nico.

“You planted that.”

Nico went still.

Vittorio pointed at him.

“You think I don’t know what your father was doing with Reese? You think I don’t know why Marco died?”

Dante moved around the table.

“What did you just say?”

Vittorio realized too late.

Elena’s pulse roared in her ears.

Nico’s face had lost all color.

Dante stepped closer to his uncle.

“You said you knew why Marco died.”

Vittorio looked toward the door.

Two security guards appeared.

He laughed once, bitterly.

“You are all looking at the wrong traitor.”

His finger shifted from Nico to Celeste.

“Ask her what she did the night Antonio Moretti learned the truth.”

Celeste closed her eyes.

Elena turned toward her.

“What night?”

Celeste opened her eyes again, but the composure that had carried her through the evening was gone.

“The night Antonio stopped believing Marco stole from him.”

Dante stared at her.

“You were there?”

“Yes.”

“Where?”

“Your father’s private office.”

Vittorio said, “Tell him who else was there.”

Celeste’s mouth tightened.

“Marco. Antonio. Vittorio. Me.”

Nico asked, “Anyone else?”

She hesitated.

Elena saw it.

“Who?”

Celeste looked at Nico with an expression Elena could not read.

“Thomas Ferraro arrived after midnight.”

Nico’s face changed.

“My father?”

“Yes.”

“What did he want?”

Celeste shook her head.

“He said there had been a leak inside the police department. He said Marco could not trust Detective Reese.”

Elena felt the past rearrange itself again.

“My father’s tape says Reese had copies.”

“Then Thomas may have been trying to warn him.”

“Or steer him,” Vittorio said.

Nico rounded on him.

“You don’t know that.”

“No,” Vittorio replied. “And neither do you.”

Dante looked from one face to another.

“No more family legends. From now on, every statement gets tested against evidence.”

Elena nodded.

“For once, we agree.”

Celeste lowered herself into a chair.

“I should have told you years ago.”

“Which one of us?” Dante asked.

Her sad smile held no humor.

“All of you.”

May you like

[COMPLETED] She waited ten years for her fiancé, but the night she marri...

[COMPLETED] Five Years After My Mafia Husband Chose Another Woman, He Me...

[COMPLETED] I CALLED MY HUSBAND 18 TIMES WHILE OUR SON WAS DYING. EIGHT...

And Elena understood that the house did not contain one secret.

It contained an entire generation of them.