Chapter 3 - The Father Luca Buried Without a Body

Luca did not move.

"My father is dead."

Antonio looked at him.

"Marco Moretti is alive."

Vanessa stared at her father.

"You told me he died."

Antonio closed his eyes.

"I told everyone."

Luca's voice went low.

"Where is he?"

"Montreal."

"How long have you known?"

"Ten years."

Silence.

Luca laughed quietly.

Then stopped.

"My mother died seventeen years ago."

"My father disappeared five years later."

"Then you found him two years after that."

Antonio nodded.

"Yes."

"And you said nothing."

"Yes."

Luca looked at Vanessa.

She shook her head.

"I didn't know."

Antonio said:

"She didn't."

That mattered.

Not enough.

Luca looked back at Antonio.

"Why did my father leave?"

Antonio took a breath.

"Because he believed someone inside the Moretti family helped Dr. Crane."

Luca's jaw tightened.

"Who?"

"He suspected your uncle."

"Vittorio."

Antonio nodded.

Luca's uncle had taken over part of the family business after Marco disappeared.

Still alive.

Still at the table.

Vittorio Moretti slowly stood.

Sixty-eight.

White hair.

Black suit.

He looked at Antonio.

"You are making a mistake."

Luca turned.

"No."

He looked at his uncle.

"Sit down."

Vittorio stared.

Then sat.

Luca looked at Antonio again.

"Why Montreal?"

"Marco took the ledger."

"Why?"

"Because it contained payments."

"To who?"

"Port officials."

"Judges."

"Doctors."

Margaret whispered:

"Samuel Crane."

Antonio nodded.

Luca looked at Vittorio.

"Your name?"

Antonio said:

"Yes."

Vittorio stood again.

"That ledger was fabricated."

Margaret laughed once.

"Elena wrote half of it herself."

Luca turned.

"What?"

Margaret continued:

"Your mother spent her last months tracing the payments."

"Why?"

"Because she believed South Harbor was being used to move more than cargo."

Luca frowned.

"What kind of cargo?"

Antonio answered:

"Cash."

Vittorio said:

"Nothing illegal was ever proven."

Luca looked at him.

"You are doing badly with words tonight."

Vittorio went silent.

Luca asked Antonio:

"What did Dad do after taking the ledger?"

"He went to federal investigators."

"Then why disappear?"

"Because someone tried to kill him."

Vittorio laughed.

"Convenient."

Luca looked at him.

Antonio continued:

"His car exploded outside Detroit."

Vanessa gasped.

Luca stared.

"I remember that news."

Everyone did.

A burned vehicle.

No body.

Assumed death.

Antonio continued:

"Marco survived because he had switched cars."

"Did you know?"

"Not then."

"When?"

"Two years later."

"How?"

"He contacted me."

"Why you?"

Antonio looked toward the old chapel windows.

"Because I was in the ledger too."

Luca stared.

"So he blackmailed you."

"No."

Antonio shook his head.

"He gave me a choice."

"What choice?"

"Help him expose Vittorio."

"Or?"

"Or he would expose all of us together."

Luca looked at him.

"And you helped."

"Eventually."

"How eventually?"

Antonio looked ashamed.

"I spent two years trying to convince him to destroy it."

Vanessa whispered:

"Dad."

He looked at her.

"I was afraid."

Luca laughed bitterly.

"Everyone is."

Antonio continued:

"Then Elena's second letter changed him."

Luca frowned.

"Second letter?"

Margaret looked confused.

Antonio continued:

"Elena wrote to Marco before she died."

Luca stared.

"What did she say?"

Antonio looked at the veil.

"That if he spent his life protecting Luca with secrets, Luca would inherit the secrets instead of the protection."

Silence.

Luca looked down.

Then asked:

"Where is my father now?"

Antonio reached into his jacket.

A folded card.

One address.

Montreal.

Luca took it.

Vanessa looked at him.

"You're going."

"Yes."

"When?"

"Now."

Vittorio stood.

"You leave this house tonight, Luca, and every board vote tomorrow changes."

Luca turned.

"Good."

Vittorio's face hardened.

"You could lose control."

Luca looked at his mother's letter.

Then at the old veil.

"I am starting to think control has cost this family enough."

He looked at Margaret.

"You're coming."

She nodded.

Then he looked at me.

"Emma."

I froze.

"Yes?"

"You opened the door upstairs."

"Yes."

"You come too."

Vanessa stepped forward.

"And me?"

Luca looked at her.

Her face broke.

He did not answer immediately.

Then:

"Do you still have anything from that envelope?"

"No."

"Anything else from my mother?"

"No."

"Anything your father told you not to tell me?"

Vanessa cried.

"Yes."

Silence.

Luca waited.

She whispered:

"Your father came to Chicago once."

Antonio turned sharply.

Vanessa looked at him.

"Three years ago."

Luca stared.

"You saw him."

"Yes."

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