Chapter 5 - The Second Car
The repair shop had been closed for nearly a decade.
Its windows were boarded, its sign rusted, and weeds grew through cracks in the concrete. But the lock on the rear garage door was new.
Marco signaled the officers to wait while he checked the entrance.
Dante stood in the rain, the brass key heavy in his pocket.
The door opened with a metallic groan.
Inside sat a black sedan beneath a dusty canvas cover.
Dante pulled the cover away.
The vehicle's paint was faded, but the bodywork remained intact. A small dent marked the passenger-side door.
Richard had described that dent.
It was the car Michael had driven to the meeting twelve years earlier.
Investigators photographed the vehicle and examined the interior. Beneath the rear seat, they found a sealed plastic case containing a handgun, an old mobile phone, and several envelopes.
The gun's serial number had been filed down, but forensic specialists believed the weapon might still contain evidence.
The phone had not been used in years.
However, the envelopes contained handwritten instructions.
One was addressed to Richard.
Another bore Judge Wexler's initials.
The third was signed by Michael.
Once Antonio is gone, the accounts will be divided as agreed. Richard will carry the blame. Wexler will ensure the investigation ends before anyone asks about the second vehicle.
Dante read the note twice.
It was not a confession to murder, but it proved the men had planned to conceal evidence and manipulate the investigation.
Marco found something else in the glove compartment: a photograph of Michael standing beside the sedan on the night Antonio died.
The timestamp matched the date on Eleanor's hidden photograph.
“Your mother was right,” Marco said. “They didn't act alone.”
Dante stared at the image.
“Get this to the investigators. Every item. No private handling, no exceptions.”
Marco nodded.
Then he lowered his voice.
“Sir, there is a problem.”
“What?”
“The original evidence from your father's case was transferred to a private storage facility three years ago. The transfer was approved by Judge Wexler.”
“Where is the facility?”
Marco showed him the address.
Dante recognized it immediately.
It belonged to Sterling Strategic Holdings.
Vanessa's father's company.
He turned toward her, but she was not there. She had remained at the estate under protection after agreeing to help identify the financial records.
Dante called her.
“Did your father store evidence from my father's murder?”
There was a long silence.
“I don't know,” Vanessa said. “But I can find out.”
“Do it.”
She hesitated.
“Dante, there's something I need to tell you.”
“What?”
“My father met Michael the week your mother died.”
Dante's chest tightened.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“I only found the meeting record this morning. I didn't want to accuse him without knowing what it meant.”
“Send me the record.”
“I will.”
The call ended.
Marco approached with a detective.
“The investigators have identified the gun's original manufacturer. If they can recover the serial number, they may be able to connect it to a purchase record.”
“Good.”
“And the old phone may contain deleted messages.”
Dante looked at the black sedan.
For twelve years, his family had insisted that Richard's car was the only vehicle at the scene. The second car had been hidden because it connected Michael to the murder.
Now it was no longer a rumor.
It was evidence.
As they prepared to leave, Dante noticed a small metal plate beneath the dashboard. It had been screwed into place after the car was manufactured.
He crouched and examined it.
The plate was loose.
Behind it was a folded strip of paper.
Only one sentence was written on it.
IF WEXLER FALLS, THE STERLINGS FALL WITH HIM.
Dante stood slowly.
The conspiracy was larger than he had imagined.
May you like
And Vanessa's family was not merely connected to the people who killed his father.
They had helped build the system that kept the truth buried.
