Chapter 4 - Behind the Portrait

Two guards lifted the portrait from the wall.

The ballroom watched.

Cassandra stood beside her father.

Maria remained near the doorway.

Leonardo removed his jacket.

His black eagle tattoo showed higher above his collar.

He ran his fingers along the back of the frame.

Nothing.

Then Mrs. Miller spoke.

“Lower left corner.”

Leonardo pressed the wood.

A narrow panel shifted.

Inside was a metal cylinder.

Victor whispered:

“No.”

Leonardo removed it.

The cylinder had been sealed with wax.

On the wax:

A small eagle.

The same design tattooed on Leonardo’s neck.

He stared.

“My father’s symbol.”

Maria corrected him.

“Elena’s.”

Leonardo looked at her.

“The eagle belonged to her family.”

Maria touched her throat.

“Antonio took it after she died.”

Leonardo broke the seal.

Inside were three things.

A ledger.

A photograph.

And a key.

He opened the ledger.

Pages of names.

Dates.

Amounts.

Initials.

Judges.

Detectives.

Shipping companies.

Medical facilities.

Victor Vale’s name appeared repeatedly.

Cassandra saw it.

“Dad…”

Victor looked away.

Leonardo turned another page.

Then stopped.

A name had been underlined.

DR. HAROLD CREST.

Beside it:

M. RUSSO TRANSFER.

Leonardo looked at Maria.

“What does transfer mean?”

Maria’s face changed.

“I don’t know.”

Mrs. Miller leaned closer.

Below the line was an address.

Saint Agnes Private Clinic.

Leonardo looked at Victor.

“You owned part of that clinic.”

Victor nodded reluctantly.

“Years ago.”

Leonardo held up the key.

“Where does this go?”

Victor shook his head.

“I don’t know.”

Mrs. Miller did.

“Safety-deposit box.”

Leonardo looked at her.

“You recognize it?”

“Yes.”

“Elena kept one at First Provincial Bank.”

Victor whispered:

“That branch closed.”

Mrs. Miller answered:

“The vault didn’t.”

Victor looked at her sharply.

Leonardo noticed.

“What is in the box?”

Mrs. Miller said:

“I don’t know.”

Maria whispered:

“I do.”

Leonardo turned to her.

She looked terrified.

“Elena told me she had proof Antonio was not your only threat.”

Leonardo frowned.

“What does that mean?”

Maria looked toward Cassandra.

Cassandra shook her head.

“Don’t look at me.”

Maria said:

“Elena believed another family wanted control of Antonio’s organization.”

Victor’s face tightened.

Leonardo saw it.

“The Vales?”

Maria did not answer.

Victor did.

“No.”

Leonardo looked at him.

“That answer came too quickly.”

Cassandra stepped between them.

“Leonardo, my father did terrible things.”

She looked at Victor.

“But he is not the man who started this.”

Maria whispered:

“No.”

Everyone turned.

Leonardo said:

“Then who did?”

Maria looked at the old photograph from the cylinder.

Leonardo picked it up.

Three men stood beside Antonio.

Victor Vale.

Dr. Harold Crest.

And another man.

Leonardo had seen him before.

At his wedding.

Standing beside Cassandra.

Leonardo’s face changed.

“Your uncle.”

Cassandra stared.

“Uncle Marcus?”

Maria nodded.

“Marcus Vale.”

Victor stepped forward.

“Maria.”

“Tell him.”

Victor shook his head.

“Not here.”

Leonardo looked at him.

“You lost the right to choose the room.”

Maria continued.

“Marcus was there the night Elena died.”

Leonardo looked at Victor.

“You said you were the other man.”

Victor swallowed.

“I was one of them.”

Silence.

Leonardo looked back at the photograph.

Antonio.

Victor.

Dr. Crest.

Marcus.

Four men.

One dead woman.

One stolen identity.

One child.

Leonardo.

He turned the photograph over.

A sentence had been written on the back.

IF ANTONIO DIES, WATCH MARCUS.

Cassandra read it.

Her face went white.

Leonardo asked:

“When did my father die?”

Mrs. Miller answered:

“Eighteen years ago.”

Leonardo looked at Cassandra.

“And when did Marcus join your family company?”

She whispered:

“Eighteen years ago.”

Leonardo looked at Victor.

“What happened to my father?”

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Victor stared at the floor.

“He did not die from a heart attack.”