Chapter 5 - THE GREY WOOL COAT
The smell of cedar suddenly felt suffocating.
Alessandro stared at the tarnished gold pocket watch in his palm, his breathing ragged.
His father, the former patriarch of the Vitale family, had been gunned down in a Chicago alleyway twenty years ago. The murder had never been solved. The killer had vanished into the night, leaving behind nothing but rumors and a broken family.
And now, the killer’s watch was hidden inside a coat in Alessandro’s own home.
“Whose coat is this?” I asked, my voice shaking as I stood up, keeping Mia safely behind me.
Alessandro looked at the heavy gray wool hanging in the closet.
“It belonged to my uncle,” Alessandro said, his voice tight with suppressed rage. “He died of a heart attack five years ago. This coat was sent here with the rest of his belongings.”
My mind raced.
If the uncle owned the coat, and the killer’s watch was hidden inside it... did the uncle know the killer? Or worse, was the uncle involved in the father’s death?
But that didn't explain the most terrifying part.
“Mr. Vitale,” I whispered. “Vanessa was the one taking things out of it.”
Alessandro’s head snapped up.
He didn't say a word. He turned on his heel and marched back down the hallway toward the dining room, the gold watch clutched tightly in his fist.
I scooped Mia up into my arms and followed him, unable to stay behind.
When we reached the dining room, Vanessa was pacing frantically near the windows, her red silk gown swishing violently. Patricia was still sitting at the table, clutching her bandaged hand, looking terrified. Thomas, the attorney, was typing furiously on his phone.
Alessandro walked straight toward Vanessa.
He didn't yell. He didn't raise his hand.
He simply held up the gold pocket watch.
Vanessa stopped pacing. She looked at the watch, and a look of pure, unadulterated terror washed over her features.
“You knew about the coat,” Alessandro stated, his voice a lethal, quiet absolute.
Vanessa shook her head rapidly, stepping backward. “No! I don't know what that is! I’ve never seen it before in my life!”
“My six-year-old daughter drew a picture of you tearing it open,” Alessandro said coldly. “You stole my dead sister’s bracelet from it. And you left this behind.”
He took a step closer, backing her against the heavy velvet drapes.
“Who gave you the coat, Vanessa? And what else was hidden inside it?”
“Nothing!” Vanessa shrieked, tears ruining her perfect makeup. “I didn't take anything! I swear to God, Alessandro, I’m innocent!”
Alessandro stared at her for a long, agonizing moment.
Then, he looked down at the pocket watch.
He pressed the small latch on the side. The gold cover popped open with a sharp click.
Alessandro looked at the face of the watch.
He froze.
I watched his broad shoulders tense. I watched the realization hit him like a physical blow.
“Mr. Vitale?” I asked, stepping slightly closer.
Alessandro didn't look at me. He didn't look at Vanessa.
He slowly raised his eyes and looked across the room.
At Thomas.
The attorney stopped typing on his phone. He looked up, adjusting his expensive wire-rimmed glasses.
“Is something wrong, Alessandro?” Thomas asked calmly.
Alessandro slowly turned the pocket watch around.
The glass face of the watch was shattered. But inside the front cover, tucked neatly against the gold, was a small, faded photograph.
It was a picture of two young men standing in front of a Chicago skyline.
One was Alessandro’s deceased uncle.
The other was a young Thomas.
“You knew my uncle in Chicago,” Alessandro said, the pieces clicking together in real-time. “You told me you didn't meet my family until we moved to Philadelphia.”
Thomas’s calm demeanor didn't break. He simply placed his phone in his jacket pocket.
“A small lie, Alessandro. For the sake of professionalism.”
“You were wearing this watch in the photograph,” Alessandro continued, his voice dropping an octave. “This is your watch. The one found covered in blood the night my father died.”
The dining room went completely silent.
Patricia gasped, covering her mouth with her good hand.
I tightened my grip on Mia, my heart pounding so hard it hurt my ribs.
Thomas looked at the watch. Then, he let out a long, slow sigh.
“Your father was a stubborn man, Alessandro,” Thomas said quietly. “He wouldn't listen to reason. He wanted to legitimize the business. Leave the profitable ventures behind. Your uncle and I... we had different plans.”
Alessandro’s hands balled into fists. “You killed him.”
“I secured the future of this family,” Thomas corrected smoothly. “And I’ve spent the last twenty years managing it for you. Building your wealth. Protecting you.”
“By stealing from innocent people?” Alessandro yelled, pointing at Patricia. “By using my fiancée to bankrupt seamstresses and bakers?”
Thomas smiled a cold, terrifying smile.
“Vanessa is greedy, but she is useful,” Thomas said, looking at the crying woman in the red dress. “When your uncle died, I couldn't get to his estate in time to retrieve the coat. It was shipped here. I needed someone on the inside to slowly empty the lining for me. The jewelry, the cash, the blackmail materials.”
Thomas adjusted his suit jacket.
“In exchange, I gave Vanessa access to your property holdings. I let her steal a few small businesses to build her little fashion empire. A small price to pay for my privacy.”
Alessandro drew a heavy breath, his eyes burning with a rage I had never seen.
“You’re going to die in a cage, Thomas,” Alessandro whispered.
Thomas chuckled.
He calmly reached inside his tailored suit jacket.
And pulled out a sleek, black handgun.
He didn't aim it at Alessandro.
May you like
He aimed it directly at Patricia Bennett.
“I don't think so, Alessandro,” Thomas said, cocking the hammer. “Because if you call your guards, this lovely seamstress is going to pay the final invoice with her life.”
