Chapter 7 - The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead

Damien did not shout.

That frightened everyone more.

He closed box 214.

He looked at Bell.

“Where is Victor?”

Bell shook his head.

“I don’t know.”

Damien turned to Clara.

“You said he is alive.”

“I received a letter last month.”

She reached into her coat.

A white envelope.

No return address.

Inside was one sentence.

KEEP MARIA AWAY FROM DAMIEN.

Damien read it.

Then turned it over.

Nothing.

Julian asked:

“How do you know Victor sent it?”

Clara pointed to the handwriting.

“He always wrote the letter M like that.”

Maria took the note.

Her face changed.

“It’s his.”

Damien looked at her.

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

Elena whispered:

“That’s why you gave me the ring?”

Clara nodded.

“I thought if Maria saw it publicly…”

“She would come.”

“Yes.”

Damien stared at her.

“You used your daughter.”

Clara’s eyes filled.

“I used the only thing Victor was watching.”

Elena stepped back from her mother.

Maria looked at Clara.

“You could have called me.”

“I did.”

“No.”

“You called once.”

“You said Damien was in danger.”

“Then you disappeared.”

Clara’s voice broke.

“Because Vane found out.”

Damien looked at Julian.

“We need Vane.”

Julian nodded.

“He left the ballroom twenty minutes ago.”

Damien’s eyes narrowed.

I spoke before I could stop myself.

“No.”

Everyone looked at me.

Damien frowned.

“What?”

“Judge Vane didn’t leave.”

“How do you know?”

“His coat is still in the west cloakroom.”

Silence.

I continued.

“And his driver is still outside.”

Damien looked toward the hallway.

“Where would he go?”

I thought about the house.

Private rooms.

Old corridors.

One place.

“The chapel.”

Maria looked at me.

“There’s a chapel?”

“Old family chapel.”

“Closed for years.”

Damien turned.

He knew immediately.

“My father’s memorial room.”

We returned to the estate.

The chapel door was open.

One light burned inside.

Marcus Vane stood in front of Alessandro Vale’s portrait.

He held a phone.

Damien entered.

Vane ended the call.

“You should have stayed at dinner.”

Damien stopped ten feet away.

“You should have left.”

Vane smiled.

“I considered it.”

Maria entered behind Damien.

Vane’s smile disappeared.

Then Julian.

Elena.

Clara.

Bell.

Mr. Stern.

And me.

Vane looked at all of us.

“A committee.”

Damien held up Victor’s letter.

“Where is he?”

Vane glanced at it.

“Who?”

Damien smiled coldly.

“Wrong answer.”

Vane looked at Clara.

“You told them.”

Clara nodded.

“Yes.”

Vane sighed.

“Victor always said fear wears off.”

Maria stepped forward.

“Where is he?”

Vane looked at her.

“You still think this is about him.”

Damien’s expression changed.

“What does that mean?”

Vane walked to the front pew.

He sat.

“Victor was greedy.”

“Violent.”

“Impatient.”

“But he was not clever enough to maintain Alessandro’s identity for eight years.”

Damien stared.

“You did.”

“Yes.”

“You built the legal structure.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Vane looked at the portrait.

“Because Alessandro was going to expose all of us.”

Bell closed his eyes.

Damien looked at him.

“All of you?”

Bell whispered:

“The company was laundering political money.”

Maria turned.

“What?”

Bell looked ashamed.

“Not for the family.”

“For Vane.”

Vane laughed softly.

“Thomas.”

Bell continued.

“Construction contracts.”

“Campaign money.”

“Foreign accounts.”

“Victor stole from it.”

“Alessandro discovered it.”

“And he was going to the authorities.”

Damien looked at Vane.

“So my father died because he found your money.”

Vane said nothing.

Maria’s face had become stone.

“Victor killed Alessandro for you.”

Vane looked at her.

“Victor killed his brother for himself.”

“I simply gave him a future afterward.”

Damien stepped closer.

“And my grandfather?”

Vane’s eyes shifted.

That was enough.

Damien saw it.

“So Victor killed him too.”

Vane did not answer.

Damien’s hands tightened.

Maria touched his arm.

“Damien.”

He stopped.

Vane smiled.

“Your mother remembers restraint.”

Maria looked at him.

“No.”

“She remembers consequences.”

Julian stepped forward.

“We have the recording.”

Vane’s smile faded.

“What recording?”

Damien held up his phone.

A digital copy of Alessandro’s tape was playing.

Victor’s voice filled the chapel.

You won’t live long enough.

Vane listened.

Then laughed.

“That proves Victor hated his brother.”

“It does not prove murder.”

Damien nodded.

“You’re right.”

Vane relaxed slightly.

Damien continued.

“That’s why we need you.”

Vane frowned.

“For what?”

“To call him again.”

Vane’s eyes narrowed.

Damien looked at the phone in his hand.

“You ended a call when we entered.”

Vane slipped the phone into his pocket.

“You have no idea who I was speaking to.”

Clara stepped forward.

“I do.”

Vane looked at her.

She held up her own phone.

“I called your driver.”

“He said you told him not to leave because Victor was coming.”

Vane’s face changed.

Elena stared at her mother.

“You called his driver?”

Clara gave a tired smile.

“I spent sixteen years surviving these men.”

Damien looked at Vane.

“When is Victor coming?”

Vane said nothing.

Then the chapel door behind us moved.

A man’s voice came from the darkness.

“He already did.”

Maria stopped breathing.

Damien turned.

The man was in his late sixties.

Gray beard.

Black coat.

Older.

Heavier.

But Damien recognized the eyes.

His uncle.

May you like

[COMPLETED] “GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY DRESS! YOU’RE NOTHING BUT AN OLD SEAM...

[COMPLETED] At the Mafia Boss's Engagement Party, I Served His Hungry So...

[COMPLETED] The Mafia Boss’s Fiancée Tried to Dismiss His Father’s Loyal...

Victor Vale smiled.

“Hello, nephew.”