Chapter 8 - THE SHOT WAS NOT MEANT FOR LUCA
Everything moved at once.
Luca’s men pushed us behind stone.
Marco drew weapon? We can narrate security response without operational detail. Matteo dropped.
Elena screamed.
For one horrible second, I thought he had been shot again.
Then he rolled.
Blood?
None.
The bullet had struck stone behind him.
A warning or miss.
Security locked estate.
Shooter gone.
No second shot.
Then Luca crouched beside Matteo.
“You hit?”
“No.”
I looked at shattered stone.
Someone had fired from distance at a man who had legally returned from the dead less than twelve hours earlier.
Vittorio’s note suddenly mattered.
Who wanted Matteo dead?
If Bennett will became valid, he inherited one-third land.
But that was not enough motive for assassination.
If Moretti legal status restored, he could challenge trusts worth hundreds of millions.
Plenty of motive.
Potential suspects:
Vittorio.
Alessandro.
Old board members.
Rival family.
Someone tied to boating accident.
Then Marco recovered estate camera footage.
A maintenance van entered thirty minutes before shot with forged service permit.
Permit authorized by Moretti Security executive:
Carlo Vieri.
Who?
Luca’s security deputy.
Worked family twenty years.
Where was he?
Missing.
Then Luca said:
“Carlo served my grandfather.”
Not Vittorio.
Previous patriarch.
Old guard.
Maybe fear Matteo returning would disrupt old networks.
Then Matteo produced his evidence from boating accident.
The boat had not exploded from fuel leak.
A device? We can say forensic report indicated deliberate sabotage, without details.
Payment to marina technician.
Source:
Vieri Consulting.
Carlo.
So security deputy likely connected to first attempt.
Who ordered?
Payment chain ended at trust.
MORO FOUNDATION.
Luca recognized.
Charitable foundation controlled by his late mother Isabella.
No.
Could Isabella have ordered Matteo killed?
She died six years ago.
Boating accident four years? Wait if mother died before Matteo? Need timeline. Let's say Isabella died five years ago, boat four years. Foundation remained under board.
Who controlled after death?
Elena.
She went white.
“I didn’t authorize anything.”
Board administrator:
Paolo Serrano.
Vittorio’s longtime financial secretary.
Where?
He left estate same time Vittorio disappeared.
Maybe together.
Then Elena said:
“Father didn’t run.”
“What?”
“He took Paolo.”
Why?
Maybe to force confession.
Vittorio knew who ordered.
Then phone rang.
Vittorio.
He sounded weak.
“Luca.”
“Where are you?”
“Safe enough.”
“Bring Paolo back.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
Silence.
Then:
“He jumped from the car.”
What?
At stop? He escaped.
Vittorio said Paolo confessed partly.
He had used Isabella’s foundation to pay Carlo for Matteo’s boating sabotage.
Who ordered him?
Not Vittorio.
Not Isabella.
Then who?
“Thomas Bennett.”
My father.
No.
I stared at Dad.
He heard.
His face drained.
“That’s a lie.”
Vittorio:
“I thought so too.”
Paolo had a recording.
Thomas Bennett offering money to remove Matteo before he exposed birth secret and land will.
Why would Dad kill his own son?
Maybe he believed Matteo would destroy Sophia/Elena inheritance? Dad shook.
“I didn’t know Matteo was my son then.”
Exactly.
At time, Dad thought Matteo was Vittorio’s son threatening Bennett land.
Could he have ordered?
He denied.
Then recording sent.
Voice sounded like Dad.
Thomas:
“If Matteo files anything, stop him before he reaches court.”
Dad stared.
“That’s not me.”
Voice clone? Four years ago, less common but possible.
Or edited.
Then another voice:
Paolo:
“You mean permanently?”
Thomas:
“I mean whatever it takes.”
My father looked sick.
“I never said that.”
Evidence not proof.
Need forensic.
Then Matteo asked:
“Where were you the week before my boat exploded?”
Dad froze.
“Chicago.”
No.
Travel record later?
He had been in Milan.
He lied.
Why?
Dad finally admitted he came to Italy secretly to negotiate Bennett land.
Met Paolo.
Did he threaten Matteo?
He said:
“I told them stop him legally.”
Could recording be true but ambiguous?
Maybe “whatever it takes” yes.
He might have said in anger.
No intent kill.
Paolo weaponized.
Then why hide trip?
Because he was ashamed.
Again.
Then Luca looked at me.
This was my father now inside Moretti violence.
I did not defend.
Evidence first.
Forensic audio later showed cuts.
Two sentences spliced.
Dad had said:
“If Matteo files anything, stop him before he reaches court. Whatever it takes within the agreement.”
Paolo removed “within the agreement” and inserted question.
Manipulated.
So Dad not murder order.
Good.
Then who did Paolo serve?
Bank trail.
Payments to him from:
Bennett Lake Holdings.
My mother’s land company.
Authorized signer:
Sophia Bennett.
My name.
Forgery again.
Someone had been moving money under my identity for years.
Who had access to my mother’s trust signature?
My father.
Alessandro.
Margaret Shaw.
And—
my bakery accountant, Laura Finch.
Why would Boston accountant be involved?
Then Dad said:
“Laura isn’t just your accountant.”
I stared.
“Please don’t tell me she’s another sibling.”
He almost smiled despite panic.
“No.”
Then:
“She was your mother’s private investigator.”
What?
Laura had been placed near me after Anna died.
To watch whether Moretti family approached.
My bakery bookkeeping job was cover.
She knew land.
Will.
Matteo.
Elena.
She had access.
Where was Laura now?
Boston.
We called.
No answer.
Bakery employee answered instead.
“Sophia?”
“What?”
“Someone broke into your office.”
My stomach dropped.
“Anything stolen?”
“Yes.”
“The old recipe safe.”
My mother’s safe.
I had never opened it because combination died with her.
Apparently Laura knew combination.
Inside wasn't recipes.
Dad whispered:
“Anna kept DNA records there.”
Proof of Matteo and Elena’s identities.
Someone had taken them.
Without DNA proof, will challenge harder.
Then Laura texted one sentence:
I DIDN’T STEAL THE SAFE.
I MOVED IT BEFORE PAOLO’S PEOPLE GOT THERE.
Where?
She would tell only Sophia in person.
Then another:
AND SOPHIA, DO NOT TRUST YOUR FATHER ABOUT ANNA’S DEATH.
I stared at Dad.
Mom died of cancer.
Long illness.
Hospital.
No mystery.
Laura wrote:
THE CANCER WAS REAL.
THE WILL WAS REAL.
BUT THE REASON ANNA RETURNED TO ITALY THREE DAYS BEFORE SHE DIED WAS NEVER IN HER MEDICAL FILE.
Mom had left Boston days before death?
Dad had told me she was in hospice continuously.
Another lie.
May you like
Then final:
SHE CAME TO SEE LUCA.
