Chapter 2 - The Shadow Hiding In The Dust
Luca didn’t wait for Vanessa’s answer.
He pushed the blue door open.
The air inside was stale, smelling of dried lavender and old paper.
He reached for the light switch on the wall.
It didn't work.
I pulled out my phone and turned on the flashlight, shining it over his shoulder.
It wasn’t a secret vault.
It was a small, perfectly preserved office.
A heavy oak desk sat in the center, covered in a thick layer of dust.
Books lined the walls.
But the dust on the floor told a different story.
There were footprints.
Fresh ones.
Two sets.
One set belonged to a woman wearing high heels.
The other set was small.
Very small.
Luca stared at the floor.
“You brought a child in here.”
Vanessa stood frozen in the doorway.
“Luca, please—”
“Whose footprints are these?”
She didn't answer.
I moved the flashlight beam across the floor, following the tiny footprints.
They led away from the desk, toward a heavy velvet curtain in the corner.
And stopping right at the edge of the fabric was a small object.
I stepped past Luca and picked it up.
It was a silver rosary.
But the beads were tiny, brightly colored plastic, the kind made specifically for a child’s fingers.
“This is warm,” I said.
Luca turned toward me.
“What?”
“The silver cross. It’s warm. Someone was holding it recently.”
I looked at the velvet curtain.
It trembled.
Just a fraction of an inch, but in the flashlight beam, the movement was unmistakable.
Luca saw it too.
He stepped forward.
“Who is behind the curtain, Vanessa?”
Her voice broke.
“Don’t. You’ll scare him.”
She pushed past us, dropping to her knees in the dust.
She reached out and gently pulled the velvet back.
A little boy was sitting on the floor, his knees pulled up to his chest.
He looked about six years old.
He had dark curly hair and large, terrified brown eyes.
He was clutching a piece of crumpled paper.
Luca stopped breathing.
He looked at the boy, then at Vanessa.
“Who is this?”
Vanessa’s hands were shaking as she smoothed the boy’s hair.
“This is Leo.”
Luca’s voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.
“And why is Leo hiding in my father’s sealed office?”
Vanessa looked up, tears finally spilling over her eyelashes.
“Because my brother wants him dead.”
The room went completely silent.
Mr. Ferraro, standing by the door, gripped his cane.
Luca stared at his fiancée.
“Your brother is in federal prison.”
Vanessa shook her head.
“He got out yesterday.”
She pulled the boy closer.
“And he said if I didn't find the ledger Antonio hid in this room, he was going to take Leo away from me.”
Luca’s expression hardened.
He knelt down until he was eye-level with the little boy.
“Leo.”
The boy didn’t look at him.
He kept his eyes glued to the floor.
Vanessa swallowed hard.
“He doesn’t speak, Luca. He hasn’t spoken a word since his father died.”
But Leo wasn't looking at the floor.
He was looking at me.
Slowly, the little boy raised his hands.
He tapped his chin twice, then pointed at the door behind us.
Man.
My heart stopped.
I knew basic sign language from my younger sister.
I looked at the boy.
I signed back, keeping my hands low.
What man?
Leo pointed at the heavy oak desk.
Then he signed:
May you like
He is still here.
TITLE: The Stranger Behind The Desk
