Chapter 4 - THE LETTER ROSA LEFT FOR BOTH OF US
The sealed letter contained Rosa's handwriting.
I recognized it immediately.
The careful loops.
The slightly crooked capital R.
The same handwriting that once labeled jars of cinnamon and thyme in her kitchen.
My hands began trembling.
Rebecca placed the letter on the table.
“Norah, you can decide whether to read it.”
I looked toward Gabriel.
He seemed terrified.
Not of a rival.
Not of poison.
Of what his mother might have written.
I took a breath.
Then opened the envelope.
My dear Gabriel,
If you're reading this, it means you have found Norah Bennett.
Gabriel closed his eyes.
I continued.
I hope she has fed you.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I began crying.
Rosa knew.
Somehow, she'd imagined this moment.
The letter continued.
Norah learned my stracotto recipe when she was nine. I taught it to her because I wanted one part of me to remain with someone kind.
Gabriel, I know what your father told you.
I did not abandon you.
Gabriel covered his face.
I kept reading through tears.
Anthony threatened to hurt you if I tried to take you away.
He told me you were dead.
I spent years trying to learn the truth.
Gabriel made a broken sound.
For a moment, I couldn't continue.
Then he looked up.
“Please.”
I nodded.
The next paragraph changed everything.
Norah, your mother helped me when I had nowhere to go.
She gave me a room, a job, and a reason to keep living.
I wanted to repay her, but she refused my money.
So I created a trust for your education.
My throat tightened.
Rosa had never told me.
I remembered my mother coming home exhausted from hospital shifts.
Rosa waiting with warm stew.
Two women helping each other survive.
Then came the final paragraph.
There is something you both deserve to know.
Anthony Hayes did not establish the trust out of generosity.
He used my name to hide financial records connected to medical charities.
Those records contain evidence that could destroy the men who controlled his businesses.
I looked toward Gabriel.
His expression hardened.
The letter continued.
If anything happens to me, find the blue recipe book.
The truth is hidden where the cinnamon belongs.
I stopped breathing.
The blue recipe book.
I knew exactly where it was.
For years, I'd kept Rosa's old recipes in a tin box beneath my bed.
I looked toward Gabriel.
“I have it.”
He stared.
“What?”
“The recipe book.”
His eyes widened.
Then my phone rang.
Benny.
I answered.
“Norah, don't come back to the diner.”
My stomach tightened.
“Why?”
His voice trembled.
“Someone broke into the kitchen.”
I stood.
“What?”
“They searched your locker.”
I felt cold.
“Did they take anything?”
Benny hesitated.
“No.”
Relief washed through me.
Then he added something that made my blood run cold.
“They left a message.”
“What message?”
May you like
His voice broke.
GIVE US ROSA'S BOOK, OR THE WAITRESS DISAPPEARS NEXT.
