Chapter 6 - Letter Nineteen Led to the Old Vale Factory

Letter nineteen had one more clue.

A line Sarah had underlined twice.

HE ALWAYS HID IMPORTANT THINGS WHERE THE LOOMS COULD DROWN OUT A CONVERSATION.

Peter frowned.

“Looms?”

Richard answered.

“The old Vale textile factory.”

Lorenzo looked at him.

“My family never owned textiles.”

“Publicly.”

Of course.

The factory had been closed for sixteen years.

But one building still had power.

Hale called the police.

Lorenzo did not wait.

We arrived first.

An old black car sat outside.

His uncle’s.

Lorenzo looked at Daniel.

“Stay behind me.”

Daniel almost laughed.

“I’m older.”

“By two years.”

“Still older.”

Lorenzo looked at him.

For one second, something almost normal passed between them.

Then it was gone.

Inside, old machinery filled the dark.

Sarah’s voice echoed.

“You promised the ledger.”

Lorenzo stopped.

His uncle answered.

“You promised the letters.”

Lorenzo’s jaw tightened.

They were in the central office.

We moved closer.

Sarah said:

“The letters are with Lorenzo.”

Silence.

Then a chair scraped.

“You brought him into this.”

“You did that twenty years ago.”

Lorenzo entered.

His uncle turned.

Seventy.

Silver hair.

Black coat.

No surprise.

“Lorenzo.”

“Uncle.”

Sarah stood beside a desk.

Alive.

Unhurt.

Lorenzo looked at her.

“You came willingly.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

She pointed at the desk.

A black ledger.

His uncle placed one hand on it.

“You want this?”

Lorenzo said:

“Yes.”

“You may not after you read it.”

“Try me.”

His uncle smiled.

“You always sounded like your father when angry.”

Daniel entered.

The uncle’s smile vanished.

“Well.”

Daniel stared.

“So you knew about me.”

“For thirty-five years.”

Daniel’s face hardened.

“Did you kill my mother?”

Silence.

Sarah whispered:

“Answer him.”

The uncle looked at Daniel.

“I ordered the mechanic to frighten her.”

Daniel stared.

“What does that mean?”

“Damage the car enough to make her stop asking questions.”

Lorenzo’s expression turned cold.

“You cut her brakes.”

“No.”

“I ordered someone to tamper with the car.”

“And she died.”

“Yes.”

Daniel stepped forward.

Lorenzo caught his arm.

Not to protect his uncle.

To protect Daniel from doing something he could never undo.

The uncle looked at Lorenzo.

“Your father knew.”

Daniel froze.

Sarah said:

“No.”

The uncle smiled.

“He learned later.”

Lorenzo stared.

“What did he do?”

“Nothing.”

Sarah shook her head.

“He tried to build a case.”

“After hiding it for months.”

Lorenzo looked at her.

She closed her eyes.

That was true.

His uncle continued.

“Your father helped move money.”

“Yes.”

“Had a second son.”

“Yes.”

“Let Sarah take the blame publicly.”

Lorenzo’s jaw tightened.

“Yes.”

His uncle’s smile widened.

“And you still want to turn him into a victim.”

“No.”

The answer surprised everyone.

Lorenzo stepped closer.

“My father can be guilty and still be betrayed.”

Silence.

His uncle’s smile faded.

Lorenzo continued.

“My mother can be afraid and still make mistakes.”

Sarah looked at him.

“Richard can protect her and still steal.”

Richard lowered his eyes.

“Isabella can love me and still hide letters.”

Isabella began crying.

Lorenzo looked at his uncle.

“And you can tell some truths without becoming innocent.”

The old man said nothing.

Lorenzo pointed at the ledger.

“Open it.”

His uncle did.

Names.

Dates.

Amounts.

Politicians.

Police.

Judges.

Businessmen.

Then:

Richard Crane.

Payments.

Then:

Anthony Vale.

Lorenzo’s father.

Daniel stared.

“How much?”

Lorenzo read.

Millions.

Sarah whispered:

“He was deeper than I knew.”

The uncle nodded.

“He built half of it.”

Lorenzo looked at him.

“Then why did you kill Evelyn?”

“Because she found out.”

“And Sarah?”

“I did not kill her.”

“You threatened her.”

“Yes.”

“Blocked her from me.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

His uncle looked at the ledger.

“Because your father wanted out.”

Lorenzo frowned.

“And?”

“He planned to give Sarah everything.”

“The ledger?”

“Yes.”

“So you kept them apart.”

“Yes.”

“Then Dad died.”

“Yes.”

Lorenzo stared.

His uncle said nothing.

The silence changed.

Sarah went pale.

Lorenzo noticed.

“My father died at sixteen.”

“Yes.”

“Car accident.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

His uncle looked at him.

Lorenzo’s voice dropped.

“Was it an accident?”

Silence.

Then Daniel whispered:

“Ask him who serviced the car.”

Everyone looked at him.

Daniel pointed at an entry in the ledger.

A payment.

To the same mechanic connected to his mother’s crash.

Date:

Three days before Lorenzo’s father died.

Lorenzo stared.

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Then looked at his uncle.

“You killed him too.”