Chapter 7 - The Flight That Never Left

Federal agents reached the airport first.

Voss’s plane never moved.

Roman arrived twenty minutes later.

Elena.

Maria.

Arthur.

Thomas.

Commissioner Vale’s sworn statement had already been recorded at the nursing home.

Copies of the ledger were already uploaded.

The damaged cassette had been duplicated.

No single piece of evidence could disappear now.

Roman liked that.

Voss was seated in a private lounge.

Eighty.

Ill.

Angry.

Still proud.

He looked at Elena.

“You brought them.”

Elena answered:

“You built them.”

Voss looked at Roman.

“You think you won.”

Roman sat across from him.

“No.”

“Then why are you smiling?”

“I’m not.”

Voss studied him.

Roman continued.

“I stopped needing you to admit anything.”

That changed the old man’s expression.

Elena placed the joint trust documents on the table.

“You planned my marriage before I met him.”

Voss shrugged.

“I planned stability.”

“You planned control.”

“Yes.”

No apology.

Maria looked at him.

“You threatened Roman when he was a child.”

Voss said:

“I never intended to hurt him.”

Roman laughed once.

“Everyone says that after the threat works.”

Voss looked at him.

“Your father understood business.”

“My father understood fear.”

Roman leaned forward.

“He just understood it too late.”

Arthur placed the damaged cassette on the table.

Voss’s face changed.

“Where did you get that?”

Thomas answered.

“The chapel.”

Voss looked at him.

“You.”

Thomas nodded.

“Yes.”

“You betrayed me.”

Thomas almost smiled.

“I learned from the best.”

Arthur closed his eyes.

Not proud.

But not stopping him.

Elena asked:

“Where is my father?”

Voss looked away.

“Spain.”

“You knew.”

“Yes.”

“You told me he died.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“He chose Maria over family.”

Elena stared.

“He helped a woman escape blackmail.”

“He chose outsiders.”

Roman said:

“You mean witnesses.”

Voss ignored him.

Elena continued.

“You stole twenty years.”

Voss looked at her.

“I gave you everything.”

She shook her head.

“You gave me a life with edited pages.”

Silence.

Federal agents entered.

One placed documents before Voss.

Conspiracy.

Fraud.

Witness intimidation.

Obstruction.

Voss laughed.

“At my age?”

Roman said:

“Age does not erase receipts.”

Voss looked at Maria.

Then at Roman.

Then Elena.

He finally seemed tired.

Before agents took him, he said:

“There is still one thing you do not know.”

Roman did not react.

Voss smiled faintly.

“That piano recorder.”

Arthur frowned.

“What about it?”

“Maria did not hide it.”

Silence.

Maria looked confused.

“I gave it to Elena.”

Voss shook his head.

“No.”

Elena stared.

“I hid it.”

“You hid what you were given.”

Roman’s eyes narrowed.

“What does that mean?”

Voss continued.

“The recorder was already inside the piano six months before Maria returned.”

Arthur looked at Maria.

She shook her head.

“I never put it there.”

Elena whispered:

“Then who did?”

Voss looked at Thomas.

Thomas went pale.

Roman noticed.

“You.”

Thomas said nothing.

Arthur stared at his son.

“Thomas.”

He finally nodded.

“Yes.”

Roman stepped closer.

“Why?”

Thomas looked at Arthur.

Then Maria.

Then Elena.

“I found the first recording a year ago.”

“Where?”

“In Voss’s office.”

“You stole it.”

“Yes.”

“And hid it in my piano.”

“Yes.”

Roman’s expression hardened.

“Why not give it to me?”

Thomas laughed bitterly.

“Because I was afraid.”

Roman nodded.

Of course.

Thomas continued.

“I wanted someone else to find it.”

“Arthur.”

“Yes.”

“You knew he would tune the piano before the gala.”

“Yes.”

Arthur stared at his son.

“You used me.”

Thomas looked ashamed.

“Yes.”

Roman asked:

“And the second recording?”

“My father’s?”

Thomas nodded.

“I found that too.”

“Where?”

“Your father’s old safe.”

Roman stared.

“You had both.”

“Yes.”

“And waited.”

“Yes.”

Roman looked at Elena.

She looked back.

Both of them had hidden truth.

Now Thomas too.

Maria asked:

“Why now?”

Thomas answered:

“Because Voss was dying.”

Roman almost laughed.

Same deadline.

Same excuse.

Then Arthur said:

“There is a third recording.”

Everyone turned.

Thomas stared.

“No.”

Arthur looked at Voss.

“You went pale when Roman’s father’s tape played.”

Voss said nothing.

Arthur continued.

“You were afraid of something else.”

Roman looked at Thomas.

“Is there a third?”

Thomas whispered:

“Yes.”

“Whose?”

Thomas looked at Maria.

“Yours.”

Maria froze.

Roman stared.

“My mother recorded another message?”

Thomas shook his head.

“No.”

Then looked at Roman.

“She recorded a conversation.”

“With who?”

Thomas answered:

“Your father.”

Roman went still.

“When?”

“Six months before he died.”

Maria’s face changed.

“I thought that tape was destroyed.”

Roman stared at her.

“You knew.”

She nodded.

“What is on it?”

Maria whispered:

“The truth about why your father never went to Spain.”

Roman’s jaw tightened.

“I thought Voss stopped him.”

Maria looked at him.

“He did.”

A pause.

“But your father also chose not to go.”

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...

And Roman realized the last lie in the story might belong to the parent he had just begun to forgive.

========================================================================