Chapter 5 - The Man Victor Couldn't Forgive
Victor slowly turned toward Elena.
She didn't deny it.
That was worse.
"Khloe," the voice said through the receiver. "I know you're there."
Victor disconnected.
The phone rang again.
He ripped the cord from the wall.
Silence.
"Victor," Elena began.
"Don't."
His voice was almost gentle.
Javier moved subtly between them.
Victor noticed.
"Move."
"No."
"Javier."
"Not until you hear her."
Victor stared at his oldest friend.
Then at Elena.
"Talk."
Elena's voice trembled.
"Your father arranged his own death."
Victor's expression changed.
"What?"
"He knew Adrian had discovered the investigation. Your father planned to disappear."
"But he died."
"Because someone changed the plan."
"Who?"
"I don't know."
Victor slammed his palm against the desk.
Khloe jumped.
He immediately stepped back.
"Sorry."
The apology surprised everyone.
Elena continued.
"Your father asked me to drive him to a safe location. We changed vehicles twice. Nobody should have known."
"But someone did."
"Yes."
The second vehicle exploded before Elena reached it.
Victor's father had gone ahead alone.
For twelve years Victor believed rivals killed him.
Now the truth was worse.
Someone close betrayed him.
"Why fake your death?" Victor asked.
"Because whoever betrayed your father came looking for me."
Khloe studied the files.
"What did Sarah steal?"
Elena looked at her.
"The original ledger."
Khloe stared.
"My mother had it?"
"She took it from Adrian when she ran."
"Where is it?"
"She never told me."
Victor looked around.
Adrian wasn't hunting Khloe merely because she was his daughter.
He believed Sarah had passed something to her.
Khloe suddenly remembered something.
"My mother's storage unit."
Victor turned.
"What?"
"After she died, I couldn't throw everything away. I rented a storage unit."
They reached it before dawn.
Boxes filled the small space.
Sarah Bennett's life reduced to Christmas decorations, old books, photographs and kitchenware.
Khloe opened box after box.
Victor helped silently.
Eventually she found a wooden recipe box.
"My mom couldn't cook."
Victor looked at her.
"Then why own recipes?"
"Exactly."
Inside were index cards.
Recipes written in Sarah's handwriting.
Khloe flipped through them.
Victor noticed numbers beside ingredients.
Not measurements.
Account codes.
Javier photographed everything.
Then Khloe found a card labeled:
VICTORIA SPONGE.
Victor frowned.
"My mother's name is Victoria."
Khloe turned it over.
One sentence.
WHEN VICTOR IS READY, GIVE HIM THE BLUE BOOK.
Victor stared.
Sarah had known him.
Khloe searched the box.
No blue book.
"Maybe somewhere else."
They spent twenty minutes searching.
Nothing.
Then Victor noticed an old photograph album with a blue spine.
He opened it.
Family photographs.
Khloe as a baby.
Sarah holding her.
Birthday parties.
School pictures.
Near the middle, pages had been glued together.
Victor separated them carefully.
A thin ledger was hidden inside.
Blue cover.
No title.
Khloe whispered, "She kept it all these years."
Victor opened it.
Names.
Payments.
Dates.
And signatures.
One signature appeared repeatedly.
A.V.
Adrian Vale.
But another signature appeared beside his.
V.R.
Victor Rossi.
Khloe looked at him.
"You were what, twenty?"
"Nineteen when the earliest one was signed."
"Could it be you?"
"No."
He turned the page.
The handwriting belonged to his father.
Vittorio Rossi.
V.R.
Victor exhaled.
His father had been part of it.
At least initially.
Later pages changed.
Notes appeared.
Questions.
Evidence gathering.
His father had turned against Adrian.
Then Victor found the final page.
A handwritten list titled:
PEOPLE I TRUST.
Elena.
Sarah Bennett.
Elliot Crane.
And one more.
Richard Vale.
Victor stared.
"Adrian's brother?"
Javier nodded slowly.
"The councilman."
Khloe remembered the gala.
Richard Vale had been there.
He had given a speech.
Smiled.
Shaken hands.
"Maybe Richard helped them."
"Or," Victor said, "my father trusted the wrong person."
Javier's phone rang.
He listened.
"Victor."
"What?"
"The Beaumont sale has been moved."
"When?"
"One hour."
They looked at the clock.
Someone knew they'd found the ledger.
Khloe closed the blue book.
"We go."
Victor shook his head.
"Khloe—"
"No. This started before I was born. I'm done letting dead men and frightened people decide what I'm allowed to know."
Victor stared at her.
Then nodded.
"Fine."
They arrived at the Beaumont at 7:42 a.m.
The hotel appeared peaceful.
Inside a private conference room, lawyers gathered around a long table.
Richard Vale stood near the windows.
When he saw Khloe, his face lost color.
"My God."
Khloe approached.
"You know me."
Richard whispered, "You look exactly like Sarah."
Victor watched him carefully.
"Where's Adrian?"
Richard's face hardened.
"You need to leave."
"Answer."
Richard looked toward the lawyers.
Then quietly said, "Not here."
He led them into a private office.
Locked the door.
And collapsed into a chair.
"My brother is alive."
Khloe's jaw tightened.
"I know."
Richard looked at her.
"No. You don't understand."
He opened a drawer.
Removed a photograph.
Adrian Vale.
Recent.
Standing outside Khloe's apartment.
"He came to me six months ago," Richard said.
"Why?"
"He wants the ledger."
Khloe held the blue book tighter.
Richard saw it.
His face filled with horror.
"You brought it here?"
Victor moved toward the window.
"Why?"
Richard stood.
"Because this building belongs to him."
The lights went out.
The door locked automatically.
Javier reached for his phone.
No signal.
Then the conference-room television switched on by itself.
A live camera feed appeared.
Elena sat in a chair somewhere dark.
Beside her stood Elliot Crane.
Alive.
Khloe gasped.
Elliot looked directly into the camera.
Then another figure stepped into view behind him.
An older man.
Silver hair.
Dark suit.
Khloe didn't need anyone to identify him.
Adrian Vale smiled at his daughter for the first time.
May you like
And said:
"Bring me what your mother stole."
