Chapter 5 - THE WINTER COAT
My fingers trembled as I traced the familiar scratch on the silver crucifix.
The world outside the study was descending into chaos—shouts echoing down the hallways, the heavy thud of security boots, the terrifying reality of a mafia war erupting inside the mansion.
But inside the room, the silence was deafening.
My father was an accountant for a small logistics firm. He was a quiet, boring man who loved gardening and crossword puzzles. He had died of a sudden heart attack on a rainy Tuesday.
Or so I had been told.
The heavy oak door rattled as someone pounded on it.
"Sarah! It's Luca. Open the door."
I jumped, dropping the rosary back into the cedar box. I scrambled to the door and unlocked the deadbolt.
Luca stepped inside. His face was a mask of cold, controlled rage, but his eyes softened when he looked at me. His white shirt had a smear of dark blood on the cuff.
"Is Anthony...?" I couldn't finish the question.
"He's alive," Luca said, his voice flat. "The paramedics are stabilizing him. He'll survive."
"And Vanessa?"
Luca’s jaw clenched so hard a muscle jumped in his cheek.
"She's gone. She slipped out through the old bootlegger tunnel in the wine cellar. She had a car waiting outside the perimeter."
He walked over to his desk, running a hand through his dark hair. The betrayal of his best friend and his fiancée was clearly weighing heavily on him, but he was holding it together with the sheer force of his will.
"She won't get far," Luca said coldly. "My men are locking down the city."
I stood by the door, my eyes darting toward the cedar box on his desk. My fear of Vanessa was suddenly eclipsed by a deeper, older dread.
"Mr. Moretti," I started, my voice trembling.
He looked up, immediately sensing the shift in my tone. "Sarah, you don't have to call me Mr. Moretti anymore. Not after tonight. Call me Luca."
I swallowed hard. "Luca. When you left the room... I saw what was in the box."
Luca’s eyes flicked to the cedar box. He went perfectly still.
"I know that rosary," I said, tears pricking my eyes. "It belonged to my father. Arthur Collins."
Luca didn't try to hide it. He didn't feign ignorance. He looked at me with a profound, quiet sorrow that scared me more than anger.
"I know," he said softly.
"How do you have it?" I demanded, my voice rising. "He died in a hospital three years ago! The police said it was lost!"
Luca took a slow step toward me, holding his hands up in a placating gesture.
"Sarah, please listen to me. Your father's death... it wasn't a natural heart attack."
The air left my lungs. "What?"
"He was poisoned," Luca stated, the brutal truth hanging heavy in the air. "A synthetic toxin that mimics cardiac arrest. It leaves the system in twelve hours."
I stumbled backward, hitting the heavy leather sofa. My knees gave out, and I sank onto the cushions. My quiet, gentle father. Murdered.
"Why?" I sobbed, burying my face in my hands. "Why would anyone murder him?"
"Because your father didn't just work for a logistics firm," Luca explained gently, kneeling in front of me. "He was the chief accountant for the Moretti syndicate. He was my father's most trusted money manager."
I looked up, horrified. "No. That's impossible."
"It's true," Luca said, his dark eyes earnest. "And three years ago, he uncovered a massive embezzlement ring operating within our family. Someone was stealing millions and funneling it offshore."
"Who?"
"He didn't know," Luca said. "But he was getting close. He told my father he needed one more day to prove who the traitor was. He died that night."
Luca reached into the box and pulled out the rosary.
"I was at the hospital when he died, Sarah," Luca whispered. "I took this from his hand. I swore on it that I would find the person who killed him, and that I would watch over his daughters until I did."
He looked at my bruised neck, his expression darkening.
"That's why I hired you. Why I paid you double the normal wage. I needed you close to keep you safe from whoever killed him."
The pieces were falling into place, creating a horrifying picture.
"Vanessa," I breathed.
"Yes," Luca nodded grimly. "She was the one stealing the money. And when your father got too close, she silenced him."
My blood ran cold. The woman who had just tried to kill me was the same woman who had murdered my father.
Suddenly, Daniel burst into the study, his face pale.
"Boss, we have a massive problem."
Luca stood up instantly. "Did you find Vanessa?"
"No," Daniel said rapidly. "But we found her driver. He was unconscious in the alley behind the estate. He said Vanessa didn't run to the airport."
"Where did she go?"
Daniel looked directly at me.
"She went to the university dorms, Boss. She took the girl."
"Maya?" I screamed, jumping to my feet.
"She took your sister," Daniel confirmed grimly.
Before I could collapse, Luca caught my arm, his grip strong and grounding.
"Daniel, get the cars," Luca roared. "Call every man we have."
As we sprinted toward the front door, one of the maids came rushing down the stairs, carrying a heavy, dark green winter coat.
"Mr. Moretti!" she called out nervously. "Miss Bellini left this in the coatroom."
Luca stopped. He looked at the coat.
"Check the pockets," he ordered Daniel.
Daniel plunged his hand into the deep pockets of the heavy wool coat. He pulled out a small, crumpled piece of paper.
He unfolded it.
"It's a ransom note, Boss," Daniel said, his voice tight.
"What does it say?" I cried.
Daniel looked at Luca.
"It says she wants the offshore account ledgers. The ones your father hid before he died."
May you like
Daniel paused, looking at me with deep pity.
"And it says she wants Sarah."
