Chapter 4 - The Woman Who Was Never Supposed to Know
Marco moved first.
He pushed Vincent behind the basement wall.
Vincent shoved him away.
“Don’t touch me.”
“Boss, someone’s inside.”
Another shot.
Glass shattered upstairs.
Elena crouched instinctively.
Vincent turned toward her.
“Stay here.”
“No.”
“Elena.”
“No.”
His expression hardened.
“This is not a discussion.”
“You have a cracked rib and half your hospital treatment is still in my bag.”
Marco looked between them.
“Can we argue after we don’t get shot?”
Elena pointed at him.
“That’s the smartest thing anyone has said tonight.”
Vincent almost smiled despite himself.
Then another sound came from above.
A door slamming.
Marco drew a handgun.
Vincent did the same.
Elena stared.
“Of course you have one.”
Vincent looked at her.
“Stay behind me.”
They moved upstairs.
The front window had been shattered.
No one was inside.
A bullet had struck the wall beside Evelyn’s portrait.
Pinned to the frame was a note.
Vincent tore it free.
LEAVE THE PAST DEAD.
Claire came up behind them.
She saw the message.
“Oh God.”
Vincent turned.
“Now you talk.”
Claire looked at him.
“I was going to.”
“You had eleven years.”
“I was afraid.”
“So was my mother.”
Claire flinched.
Vincent held up the photograph.
“Which person betrayed her?”
Claire stared at the four faces.
“Dominic.”
Vincent said nothing.
“Your father,” Claire repeated.
“He knew she had evidence against Vale.”
“Evidence of what?”
Claire closed her eyes.
“Vale wasn’t only taking bribes.”
Vincent waited.
“He was protecting trafficking routes through the docks.”
Elena’s stomach turned.
Claire continued.
“Your father discovered it first.”
“Then why protect him?”
“Because Dominic was involved too.”
Vincent’s face hardened.
“Of course.”
“But Evelyn wasn’t.”
Claire’s voice strengthened.
“She found out. She was going to the federal authorities.”
Vincent looked at the note.
“Vale killed her.”
“No.”
Everyone turned.
Eddie Russo had come upstairs.
Marco raised the gun.
Eddie lifted his hands.
“Vale didn’t shoot Evelyn.”
Vincent’s voice went quiet.
“Who did?”
Eddie looked at Claire.
She looked away.
“Tell him,” Eddie said.
Claire shook her head.
“Tell me,” Vincent said.
Claire began crying.
Elena had seen grief.
This was guilt.
“I gave Dominic the address.”
Vincent went still.
Claire spoke through tears.
“Evelyn called me that afternoon. She said she was leaving. She asked me to meet her at a safe apartment.”
Vincent’s eyes narrowed.
“And you told my father.”
“I thought he would stop her.”
“You thought?”
“I thought he would talk to her.”
Vincent laughed bitterly.
“You knew Dominic.”
“I was scared.”
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
“I had a daughter.”
That stopped him.
Claire covered her mouth.
“Vale knew about her. Dominic knew. They told me if I helped Evelyn, they would take my child.”
Vincent stared.
“So you sacrificed my mother.”
“No.”
“That is exactly what you did.”
“I gave them the address.”
Claire’s voice collapsed.
“I never believed they would kill her.”
Vincent turned away.
Elena watched his hands.
They were shaking again.
He walked toward the staircase.
She followed.
“Vincent.”
“Don’t.”
He stopped in the hallway.
Elena remained several feet away.
“I said don’t.”
“I’m not touching you.”
“That isn’t what I meant.”
“You want me to leave.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
His eyes snapped to hers.
“Why?”
“Because you’re angry.”
“You should leave because I’m angry.”
“I’ve worked emergency rooms for ten years. Angry men don’t scare me as much as silent ones.”
He looked away.
“My mother trusted her.”
“I know.”
“She gave her everything.”
“I know.”
“She died because Claire gave them the address.”
“You don’t know the whole story.”
“I know enough.”
“No.”
Elena stepped closer.
“You know the part that hurts most.”
Vincent stared at her.
“That’s not always the whole story.”
For several seconds he said nothing.
Then his voice dropped.
“You think she deserves forgiveness?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“What do you think?”
“I think you deserve the truth before you decide what anyone deserves.”
Vincent looked at her.
A long time.
Then Claire screamed from the other room.
They ran.
Eddie was on the floor.
Not shot.
Collapsed.
Elena knelt beside him.
“Eddie?”
He was conscious.
Barely.
“Chest,” he whispered.
She checked his pulse.
Fast.
Irregular.
“Marco, call an ambulance.”
Vincent crouched nearby.
Eddie caught his sleeve.
“Listen.”
“Save your strength.”
“No.”
His eyes locked on Vincent.
“The shooter tonight.”
Vincent leaned closer.
“What about him?”
“He works for Vale.”
“I know.”
“No.”
Eddie shook his head.
“He works for someone else too.”
“Who?”
Eddie struggled for breath.
“The person who killed your mother.”
Claire covered her mouth.
Vincent’s face hardened.
“Name.”
Eddie looked directly at him.
“Your mother wasn’t shot by Vale.”
“We established that.”
“She wasn’t shot by Dominic either.”
Vincent froze.
“Then who?”
Eddie’s eyes moved toward the old portrait.
“Someone you trusted.”
Vincent’s jaw tightened.
“Who?”
But Eddie lost consciousness.
Elena immediately began treatment.
The ambulance arrived nine minutes later.
Eddie survived.
Barely.
By sunrise, they were back at St. Catherine’s.
Vincent stood outside Eddie’s cardiac room while Elena gave report to the attending physician.
When she came out, Vincent was alone.
“Where’s Marco?”
“Checking something.”
“Claire?”
“Gone.”
Elena frowned.
“Gone?”
“She left before the ambulance.”
“Why?”
Vincent looked at his phone.
“She sent me an address.”
He showed her.
A storage facility near the river.
Underneath was one sentence.
EVELYN LEFT THIS FOR YOU.
Elena looked at him.
“You’re not going alone.”
“You have a shift.”
“I had a shift.”
“You need sleep.”
“So do you.”
“I’ll sleep when this is finished.”
“That’s something men say right before collapsing.”
Vincent looked at her.
“You always this stubborn?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“My mother says I was born annoyed.”
He laughed.
Longer this time.
Elena smiled.
Then the elevator opened.
A young woman stepped out.
Late twenties.
Dark hair.
Trembling.
She looked at Vincent.
Then Claire’s photograph on his phone.
“Mr. Mercer?”
Vincent frowned.
“Yes?”
“My name is Rebecca Donovan.”
Claire’s daughter.
Vincent’s expression changed.
Rebecca held out a key.
“My mother told me to give you this if anything happened to her.”
Vincent stared at the key.
“What happened?”
Rebecca’s face crumpled.
“She’s missing.”
Vincent took the key.
On the metal tag was engraved:
LOCKER 117.
Rebecca whispered, “She said you’d find proof inside.”
Vincent turned toward Elena.
Before either could speak, Marco came running down the hall.
He held up his phone.
“Boss.”
Vincent saw his face.
“What?”
“We found Claire’s car.”
“Where?”
“By the river.”
Vincent went still.
Marco swallowed.
“The driver’s door was open.”
May you like
He looked at Rebecca.
“There was blood on the seat.”
