Chapter 8 - The Witness Who Wouldn't Run
Marco sent a protective team to Evelyn's address immediately.
By the time they arrived, the house was empty.
A broken window lay beside the back door. A cup of tea sat untouched on the kitchen table.
There was no sign of a struggle.
Only a note pinned beneath a lamp.
I know what happened to Gabriel. I know what happened to Maria. Meet me where the river bends.
Luca recognized the location.
The old riverfront warehouse.
The same place where Gabriel had kept his records.
"It's a trap," Marco warned.
"Probably," Luca replied.
"Then we send the police."
"We do both. Quietly."
Luca contacted the lead investigator handling the reopened murder case and shared the note. A team of officers agreed to secure the area while Marco arranged surveillance.
Clara insisted on accompanying Luca.
"Your father asked me to give you something if Evelyn appeared," she said.
She handed him a small envelope Antonio had entrusted to her.
Inside was a photograph of Maria Moretti with Evelyn Shaw.
On the back, Maria had written:
If the truth becomes dangerous, trust Evelyn. She has already lost too much.
Luca slipped the photograph into his pocket.
They arrived at the warehouse just before midnight.
A single light burned on the upper floor.
Luca climbed the stairs alone, with Marco and the police positioned nearby.
Evelyn Shaw stood beside a broken window, her coat soaked from the rain.
"You came," she said.
"You asked me to."
"I wasn't sure you would."
Luca studied her face.
"Did you send the threat?"
"No. Vincent's people found me. I escaped before they could take the ledger."
She placed a thick folder on the table.
"This is the original record of the medical fund. Maria found that Richard Sterling had been diverting donations into companies controlled by Vincent. Your father signed some of the transfers."
Luca opened the folder.
There were invoices, bank statements, and copies of letters bearing his father's signature.
"And Gabriel?"
Evelyn removed a second document.
"Gabriel discovered that Vincent had ordered the warehouse fire to destroy the original shipping records. The night watchman died because he was still inside. Gabriel threatened to take the evidence to the police."
"Then Vincent ordered him killed."
Evelyn nodded.
"He met with Richard and Daniel Price. They planned to stage a robbery and leave Gabriel's body near the warehouse."
Luca's stomach tightened.
"Daniel admitted he was there. Did he pull the trigger?"
"No. He drove the vehicle. He said Richard's men carried out the attack, but Daniel knew what was going to happen."
Luca looked at the papers.
"Why did you wait three years?"
Evelyn's eyes filled with tears.
"Because Vincent threatened my daughter. He sent photographs of her school, her home, even her friends. I ran. I thought silence would keep her safe."
"Where is she now?"
"Safe, I hope."
Luca nodded to Marco through the window.
The police moved in.
But before they could reach the upper floor, a gunshot rang out.
Evelyn screamed.
A bullet shattered the window beside Luca's head.
Marco pulled them behind a concrete pillar.
"Sniper!"
Police officers rushed toward the riverbank.
Luca covered Evelyn as another shot struck the railing.
Then the gunfire stopped.
A police radio crackled.
"Suspect apprehended. One male, attempting to flee in a black SUV."
Luca rose cautiously.
Evelyn was trembling.
"He's still trying to stop us."
"Not anymore," Luca said.
But as officers escorted Evelyn toward a waiting vehicle, she gripped Luca's arm.
"There's something else. Gabriel left a final recording with me. I never understood why he made it."
She reached into her coat and produced a small memory card.
"He said it would explain why Vincent was so desperate to silence him."
Luca stared at the card.
"What does it contain?"
May you like
Evelyn's voice dropped.
"A conversation between Vincent and your father. Recorded the night before Gabriel died."
