Chapter 10 - THE ECHO IN THE DIAMONDS
The warmth of the sunroom suddenly felt like ice.
I stared at the screen, my hand instinctively flying up to touch the cool diamonds resting against my collarbone.
"Who sent this?" I whispered, looking up at Luca.
Luca’s face had hardened back into the ruthless mask he wore the night of the gala.
"I don't know. The number is untraceable. A burner."
He walked over to the windows, pulling the heavy curtains shut, casting the room in shadows.
"My father swore in the letter he burned the deed. Lorenzo Moretti didn't lie in his final words."
"Then whoever sent this is bluffing," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "They just want the necklace."
"It's not about the jewelry, Emily," Luca said, pacing the length of the room. "The necklace is worth half a million dollars, yes. But the south side territory generates that in a week. Whoever sent this message knows the necklace was in the box. Which means they know the history of the box. They know about your mother."
Before I could reply, the heavy mahogany doors of the sunroom creaked open.
Michael stood there, leaning slightly on his cane. He looked better than he had in months, but the sudden darkness in the room made him frown.
"Why is it so dark in here? What's wrong?"
Luca handed him the phone.
Michael read the message, his jaw tightening.
"Dominic is in federal prison. Vanessa is locked up. Who else knew about the Weeping Angel box?"
"Only the person who made the key," I said quietly.
Both brothers looked at me.
"When I found the key taped under Vanessa’s sink," I explained, my mind racing back to that terrible night, "it wasn't an old key. The brass was shiny. Freshly cut. Dominic didn't have the original key. He had a copy made."
Luca’s eyes widened slightly in realization.
"A bank safe deposit key requires a master locksmith to duplicate. And a corrupt one, to do it without the bank's authorization."
"If we find the locksmith who made Vanessa's key," Michael said, "we find out who else knows about the deed."
Luca didn't waste another second.
He grabbed his coat from the chair.
"Michael, lock down the estate. Nobody in or out. Keep Emily and Margaret inside."
"I'm coming with you," I said, standing up.
"No," Luca said firmly. "It's too dangerous."
"Luca, that necklace is around my neck," I argued, stepping toward him. "This involves my mother. I'm not hiding in a bedroom while you handle my family's ghosts."
Luca stared at me. He saw the defiance in my eyes—the same stubbornness that ran in his own blood.
He gave a curt nod.
"Fine. But you stay in the car."
We left the estate in the armored SUV.
Luca made three phone calls to his street contacts. Within twenty minutes, he had a name.
Elias Thorne. An underground locksmith who operated out of a pawn shop in the rusted industrial district near the river.
The shop was crammed between an abandoned warehouse and a dive bar. The windows were barred, the neon 'OPEN' sign flickering violently.
Luca parked the car in the alley.
"Stay here. Lock the doors."
He stepped out, his hand resting on the concealed weapon beneath his jacket.
He walked into the pawn shop.
I sat in the passenger seat, watching the door. Five minutes passed. Ten.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from inside the shop. The sound of glass shattering.
I didn't think. I threw the car door open and ran toward the shop.
I pushed the heavy door open, the bell chiming cheerfully above me.
The shop was a wreck. Display cases were smashed.
Luca was standing in the center of the room, his gun drawn.
But he wasn't pointing it at a locksmith.
He was pointing it at a woman.
A woman in a sharp grey suit, holding a heavy ledger in her hands.
She looked up as I entered, and a cold, familiar smile spread across her face.
"Hello, Emily," the woman said smoothly.
I stopped dead in my tracks.
It was Clara.
May you like
Vanessa’s older sister.
TITLE: THE SISTER IN THE SHADOWS
