Chapter 3 - The Man Who Guarded Every Door
Luca Moretti had trusted Caleb Ross with his life. Now he was watching the man threaten his missing wife.
For several seconds, Luca stared at the frozen recording.
Caleb stood outside the conference room.
Waiting.
Protecting the door.
Doing exactly what he'd done for twelve years.
Luca slowly reached for his phone.
He called Margaret Ellis.
“Don't let anyone enter this room.”
“Mr. Moretti?”
“Especially Caleb Ross.”
There was a pause.
“Understood.”
Luca resumed the recording.
Elena stood beside Antonio's desk.
Her hands were trembling.
Caleb moved closer.
“Where is the ledger?”
Elena shook her head.
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
“Don't insult me.”
“You work for Luca.”
“I work for the people who keep Luca alive.”
Elena backed toward the window.
“Does he know?”
Caleb laughed bitterly.
“Your husband knows what we allow him to know.”
Luca felt sick.
On the screen, Elena reached into her coat.
She removed a small black notebook.
Caleb extended his hand.
“Give it to me.”
“No.”
“Elena, don't make this difficult.”
She looked directly at the hidden camera.
For a fraction of a second, her expression changed.
As though she knew someone would eventually watch.
Then she said something Luca would never forget.
“Tell your employer I already made a copy.”
Caleb's face tightened.
“Where?”
Elena didn't answer.
Caleb grabbed her arm.
The recording ended.
Luca replayed the final seconds.
Then he checked the file information.
The footage had been copied from a security camera in Antonio's study.
His father must have obtained it before his death.
But one question remained.
If Antonio knew Caleb was involved, why had he allowed him to continue working for Luca?
Luca called the only person he believed might know.
Lily Bennett.
She answered immediately.
“Mr. Moretti?”
“Where are you?”
“At the guesthouse with my grandfather.”
Luca paused.
“Arthur is your grandfather?”
“Yes, sir.”
He remembered their matching surnames.
He'd been too distracted to connect them.
“Listen carefully. Is Caleb there?”
“No.”
“Has anyone asked you questions?”
“Not yet.”
“Good. Lock the doors. Don't open them for anyone except me.”
Lily's voice tightened.
“Sir, is something wrong?”
Luca looked at the frozen image of Caleb.
“Everything.”
Outside the conference room, Caleb received a call.
He answered quietly.
“Ross.”
A distorted voice spoke.
“He opened the box.”
Caleb looked toward the closed door.
“Yes.”
“Did he see the recording?”
“I don't know.”
“Then find out.”
Caleb lowered his voice.
“I warned you this would happen.”
The caller ignored him.
“Frank wants the girl moved.”
Caleb went still.
“No.”
“You don't make that decision.”
“She's a child.”
“And she's evidence.”
Caleb closed his eyes.
“I won't touch her.”
The caller's tone hardened.
“Then someone else will.”
The line went dead.
For the first time in years, Caleb Ross looked frightened.
Luca left the conference room through a private service corridor.
Margaret had arranged an exit used by armored-courier staff.
By the time Caleb realized Luca was gone, the black sedan had already left the underground garage.
Luca called his attorney, Daniel Mercer.
“I need you to arrange private security for Arthur Bennett and his granddaughter.”
“What's happening?”
“I found evidence that Caleb was involved in Elena's disappearance.”
Daniel went silent.
“Luca, are you certain?”
“I heard his voice.”
“Where is he now?”
“At the bank.”
“Then you need to contact federal authorities.”
“Not until I know who's compromised.”
Daniel exhaled.
“You can't investigate an international criminal network by yourself.”
“I'm not trying to.”
“Then what are you doing?”
“Finding my daughter.”
The silence that followed was different.
“Your what?”
Luca looked at the birth certificate resting beside him.
“My daughter, Daniel. Elena had our baby.”
Luca drove to his father's old coastal property in Maine.
He remembered the photograph.
The house behind Elena had white shutters and a blue front door.
Antonio owned several properties along the coast, but only one matched.
A small cottage outside Camden.
The drive took hours.
By the time Luca arrived, darkness had fallen.
The cottage stood at the end of a narrow gravel road.
Its windows were dark.
Luca approached cautiously.
The front door was unlocked.
Inside, the furniture was covered with white sheets.
There were no dishes in the sink.
No clothing.
No signs of recent occupation.
But in the smallest bedroom, he found something.
A wooden crib.
A faded yellow blanket.
And a child's drawing taped to the wall.
Three stick figures stood beneath a bright red sun.
A woman.
A little girl.
And a tall man wearing a black suit.
Above the figures, in uneven handwriting, were four words.
Mommy, Me, and Daddy.
Luca touched the paper.
His throat tightened.
Had Elena told their daughter about him?
Had Sofia been waiting for a father she'd never met?
A floorboard creaked behind him.
Luca turned.
An elderly woman stood in the doorway.
She held a flashlight.
“Who are you?”
“Luca Moretti.”
The woman gasped.
“You're Elena's husband.”
“Do you know where she is?”
The woman hesitated.
“My name is Grace Holloway. I live next door.”
“Please.”
Grace lowered the flashlight.
“She left three weeks ago.”
“With my daughter?”
Grace's eyes widened.
“You know about Sofia?”
Luca nodded.
“I found out this morning.”
Grace covered her mouth.
“Oh, that poor woman.”
“What happened?”
Grace sat on the edge of the bed.
“Elena was terrified. She kept saying someone had found them.”
“Who?”
“She never said.”
Luca knelt beside her.
“Did she leave an address?”
Grace shook her head.
“But she gave me something.”
She reached into her cardigan.
A small envelope.
On the front, Elena had written:
For Luca, if he ever comes.
His hands trembled as he opened it.
Inside was a single page.
Luca,
If you found this house, your father finally kept his promise.
I wanted to come home. I wanted you to meet our daughter.
But the people watching us knew every move you made.
They knew when you left the mansion, when you met Vanessa, and when you visited your father's grave.
I couldn't risk leading them to Sofia.
Please don't trust the people who claim they're protecting you.
And whatever you do, don't tell Frank you know about our daughter.
Luca read the last sentence twice.
Then he heard a car outside.
Headlights swept across the bedroom wall.
Grace stood.
“That's strange. Nobody comes down this road at night.”
Luca moved toward the window.
A black SUV had stopped beside his car.
Two men stepped out.
One carried a handgun.
The other held a photograph.
Luca recognized the photograph.
It showed Sofia.
The man spoke into a radio.
“We found the cottage. If Moretti is inside, the girl can't be far.”
Luca pulled Grace away from the window.
May you like
And somewhere in the dark house, a telephone began ringing.
Continue to Chapter 4: The call from Elena's abandoned cottage reveals who has been watching Luca's daughter.
