Chapter 5 - The Night Daniel Mercer Died

Nobody slept.

Noah did.

Children have that gift.

Adults can destroy a room with secrets while a child falls asleep holding a toy truck.

Elena carried him upstairs.

Vanessa stayed beside his bed for ten minutes.

When she returned, she looked different.

Less like Luca’s fiancée.

More like Noah’s mother.

Luca sat at the basement desk.

Sal’s letter lay in front of him.

“My father wrote this?”

Sal nodded.

“Two weeks before his heart attack.”

Luca looked at Victor.

Victor remained near the door.

He had stopped trying to leave.

Maybe because leaving would make him look guilty.

Maybe because staying made him feel powerful.

“Did you know Daniel?”

Victor said nothing.

Vanessa answered.

“Yes.”

Her father looked at her.

She kept going.

“Daniel met Mr. Moretti more than once.”

Luca turned.

“My father?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know?”

“I followed Daniel once.”

Victor laughed bitterly.

“And there it is.”

Vanessa ignored him.

“He came here.”

“To this house?”

“Yes.”

Luca looked at Sal.

“You drove my father here.”

“Twice.”

“And you never told me.”

Sal’s face folded.

“Your father told me the less you knew, the safer you were.”

Luca stood.

“That excuse has ruined enough of my life.”

Sal looked down.

“You’re right.”

No defense.

No excuse.

Just right.

It made Luca stop.

Then Elena returned holding an old laptop.

“I kept this.”

Victor’s eyes narrowed.

“What is it?”

“Daniel’s.”

Vanessa stared.

“You told me everything was lost in the crash.”

Elena looked at her father.

“He told you that.”

She placed the laptop on the desk.

“It doesn’t turn on anymore.”

I looked at the shelves.

“Could the drive still work?”

Everyone looked at me.

I regretted speaking.

Then Luca nodded.

“Probably.”

Victor laughed.

“Emma is a housekeeper now giving forensic advice?”

I looked at him.

“No.”

Then at Vanessa.

“I’m giving common-sense advice.”

Sal smiled.

Just slightly.

Luca called one person.

Not police.

Not a lawyer.

A computer technician he trusted.

He arrived forty minutes later.

His name was Marcus Lee.

He looked at the room.

Then at all of us.

“I’m guessing this isn’t about recovering vacation photos.”

“No,” Luca said.

Marcus removed the drive.

Victor said, “That belongs to my family.”

Elena answered.

“It belonged to Daniel.”

Vanessa looked at her father.

“And Daniel was my family.”

Victor stopped talking.

The drive took an hour.

One hour of silence.

Then Marcus found a folder.

MERCER PRIVATE.

Inside were spreadsheets.

Scans.

Audio files.

No magical confession.

No single answer.

Just pieces.

Payments from Bellini Logistics to companies that did not exist.

Invoices approved by Victor.

Emails Daniel had saved as PDF copies.

And one audio recording.

Vanessa recognized Daniel’s voice immediately.

“If I’m wrong, none of this matters.”

A second voice.

Luca’s father.

“If you’re right, it matters too much.”

Luca closed his eyes.

The recording continued.

Daniel said he believed someone was using Bellini transport routes to move untaxed cash through legitimate cargo shipments.

He had not proven who authorized it.

But he had found payments signed by Victor.

Then Luca’s father said something that made Vanessa cover her mouth.

“Get your son away from this.”

Daniel replied, “Victor already knows about Noah.”

The file ended.

No threat.

No murder confession.

Just fear.

Real fear.

Luca looked at Victor.

“You knew Daniel was investigating you.”

Victor crossed his arms.

“He misunderstood business.”

Vanessa stood.

“Then why did he die?”

Victor’s eyes flashed.

“Because he drove too fast.”

Elena whispered, “You said that before the police report was released.”

Everyone turned.

Victor froze.

Elena stepped closer.

“The night Daniel died, you called me.”

Vanessa stared at her sister.

“You never told me that.”

“I was scared.”

“What did he say?”

Elena looked at her father.

“He said, ‘Daniel drove too fast.’”

Luca’s voice became very quiet.

“What time?”

“Eleven forty.”

Sal sat up.

“The crash was after midnight.”

Victor looked toward the stairs.

Luca blocked him again.

This time nobody had to say anything.

Victor’s face changed.

Not guilty.

Cornered.

And cornered men rarely stay polite.

He looked at Vanessa.

“You want to destroy your family for a dead accountant?”

She stared at him.

“No.”

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...

Then she looked upstairs, toward Noah.

“I want to stop destroying mine.”