Chapter 8 - The Person Helen Was Trying to Protect

Victoria stared at Anna.

"Then who?"

Anna looked at Marco.

He already knew she was about to say something painful.

"Helen."

Victoria frowned.

"What?"

Anna took her hand.

"Helen took the medication herself."

Victoria pulled away.

"No."

"Listen to me."

"No."

"Victoria."

"My mother would not kill herself."

Anna shook her head.

"She didn't."

Victoria stared.

Anna continued:

"The medication was prescribed."

"For what?"

"Panic attacks."

James nodded slowly.

"Helen had them after Marco disappeared."

Marco looked devastated.

Anna continued:

"The dose in her blood was high."

Victoria's face hardened.

"That's what the report says."

"Yes."

"But it wasn't enough by itself to kill a healthy woman."

Luca frowned.

"Then what happened?"

Anna looked at the old death certificate.

"Her heart was already damaged."

Victoria went still.

"From what?"

"Rheumatic fever when she was young."

Marco closed his eyes.

He knew that.

Anna continued:

"She had hidden it from almost everyone."

Victoria whispered:

"Why would Dad have a toxicology report that makes Marco look responsible?"

Luca answered first.

"Because he needed another story."

Anna nodded.

"Adrian didn't kill Helen."

Victoria looked toward the other room.

Anna continued:

"But he used her death."

James said:

"To keep everyone separated."

Marco stared at the floor.

"He sent me a copy of that report."

Luca turned.

"When?"

"Four years ago."

"What did it say?"

Marco answered:

"That Helen had died after taking medication from a prescription written under one of my aliases."

Victoria looked shocked.

"Was it?"

"No."

James said:

"The prescription number was altered."

Marco nodded.

"I believed Adrian was warning me that he could blame me."

Luca asked:

"So you stayed hidden."

"Yes."

Anna looked at Victoria.

"Helen wasn't murdered."

Victoria cried.

Not relief.

Not exactly.

Something more complicated.

"Then why did she call James that night?"

James answered:

"Because someone had entered the villa."

Luca looked toward Adrian.

Anna shook her head.

"Not Adrian."

Victoria whispered:

"Who?"

Marco walked to the black box.

Removed a small photograph.

A man.

Mid-forties.

Heavy coat.

Standing outside the villa gate.

Luca frowned.

"I know him."

James nodded.

"Victor Salvi."

The man who drugged Luca at twenty.

The man who had stolen from both families.

The man everyone believed had died three years ago.

Victoria stared.

"But Victor died before my mother."

James shook his head.

"No."

Marco said:

"The date you were given was false."

Luca's eyes narrowed.

"He's alive?"

James nodded.

"Or he was seven months ago."

Silence.

The entire story shifted.

Adrian had covered crimes.

Threatened Anna.

Manipulated Victoria.

Blackmailed Marco.

But Victor Salvi had been moving between every lie.

Luca asked:

"Why would Adrian hide that Victor was alive?"

Marco answered:

"Because Victor knew where every account came from."

James added:

"And who signed what."

Victoria whispered:

"My father needed him."

Anna said:

"Until he didn't."

Luca looked at the photograph.

"What happened the night Helen died?"

James answered:

"Helen saw Victor outside."

"Did he enter?"

"I don't know."

"Was anything missing?"

James looked upstairs.

"One page from the ledger."

Luca frowned.

"What page?"

Marco answered:

"The page naming the final beneficiary."

"Beneficiary of what?"

"The original Ferraro-Dane network."

Luca stared.

"Who?"

Marco looked at Victoria.

She went pale.

"No."

Luca looked between them.

"Who?"

Marco replied:

"Victoria."

Silence.

She stared.

"I was a child."

"Exactly."

Marco continued:

"Adrian placed assets in your name."

Victoria shook her head.

"I never controlled them."

"No."

"But legally?"

"Some of the oldest companies belong to trusts created for you."

Victoria sat down.

Luca understood.

"If Adrian is convicted, he can say the money was hers."

James nodded.

"If Victor has the missing page."

Marco said:

"He can prove Adrian designed it."

Victoria whispered:

"So my father isn't only protecting himself."

Luca looked at her.

"He's preparing to blame you."

She looked toward the closed door.

Her father.

The man who had arranged her relationship.

Threatened her with Luca's forged documents.

Used her mother's silence.

And put dirty companies in her name before she could understand what a company was.

Victoria stood.

"I want to speak to police."

Anna touched her arm.

"Think first."

"I have."

She looked at Luca.

"I spent my whole life being told silence protected people."

Luca said nothing.

Victoria continued:

"It protected him."

Then she walked toward the officers.

Luca watched.

Marco said quietly:

"Your mother said almost the same thing."

Luca looked at Anna.

She smiled sadly.

"Eventually."

For the next two hours, Victoria gave a statement.

Names.

Dates.

Properties.

Accounts.

Every conversation she remembered.

Adrian was questioned separately.

Then detained.

Not for Anna's disappearance.

Not yet.

For suspected financial fraud and obstruction.

When they led him through the foyer, he looked at his daughter.

Victoria did not look away.

Adrian said:

"You have no idea what you just destroyed."

She answered:

"Good."

He stopped.

Victoria continued:

"Maybe now I get to find out what was mine."

Police took him outside.

Rain had stopped.

Dawn approached.

Luca stood beside Victoria.

Neither touched the other.

She whispered:

"Are you glad I came?"

He looked at her.

"Yes."

"Do you forgive me?"

"No."

She nodded.

Fair.

Then James's phone rang.

He answered.

Listened.

His face changed.

Marco stood.

"What?"

James looked at Luca.

"The lawyer in New York received the ledger."

Luca exhaled.

Then James added:

"But page forty-seven is missing."

Victoria looked at Marco.

"The beneficiary page."

James nodded.

Luca looked at the photograph of Victor Salvi.

"Then we find the man who took it."

Anna whispered:

"You don't have to."

Everyone turned.

She reached into her bag.

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Then placed a folded sheet of paper on the table.

Page 47.