Chapter 4 - The Man Who Paid for My Father's Funeral
The first thing I did was call the police.
The second was check every lock in our apartment.
The third was sit beside Caleb until the shaking in my hands stopped.
I'd spent sixteen months trying to keep us afloat.
Now someone was threatening the only family I had left.
Detective Mitchell arrived with two officers.
I showed her the messages.
The notebook.
The photograph.
She examined everything carefully.
"Elena, we're going to document the threats and arrange appropriate protection."
I nodded.
"What about Caleb?"
"We'll make sure he's included."
Relief washed through me.
Not because I suddenly felt safe.
Because someone was finally taking the danger seriously.
The next morning, Vincent Moretti called.
I almost ignored him.
Then answered.
"Hello?"
"Elena, Detective Mitchell told me you received threats."
I stiffened.
"What do you want?"
"To apologize."
That surprised me.
"For what?"
"For not understanding how much danger your family was facing."
I stared at the phone.
"Did you have anything to do with my father's death?"
A long silence followed.
"No."
"Then why did Dad write that you knew the truth?"
Vincent exhaled.
"Because he showed me evidence of suspicious shipments."
"And what did you do?"
"I ordered an internal review."
My stomach tightened.
"That's all?"
"At the time, I believed the shipments involved unauthorized commercial goods, not hazardous waste."
I looked toward Caleb.
He sat near the window reading a book.
"Did you tell Dominic Vale?"
Vincent hesitated.
"Yes."
My blood turned cold.
"You told the man my father was investigating?"
"I confronted him."
I closed my eyes.
"Then you exposed Dad."
Vincent said nothing.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Finally, he whispered, "Yes."
The honesty hurt more than a denial.
I swallowed.
"My father died four days later."
"I know."
My eyes filled.
"How do you live with that?"
Vincent's voice became quiet.
"Badly."
I wanted to scream at him.
But there was something else I needed to know.
"Did you pay for my father's funeral?"
The question surprised even me.
After Dad died, the funeral director said an anonymous donor had covered the remaining costs.
I'd assumed it was a former coworker.
Vincent hesitated.
"Yes."
My chest tightened.
"Why?"
"Because I knew Thomas had been trying to do the right thing."
I closed my eyes.
"You should have told us."
"I know."
"You should have protected him before he died."
A long silence followed.
Then Vincent answered, "You're right."
I ended the call.
For the rest of the day, I tried to focus on Caleb.
We reviewed his medical appointments.
Made lunch.
Watched half a movie.
But my mind kept returning to Vincent.
A man feared throughout Baltimore.
A man who could influence shipping contracts worth millions.
Yet when my father needed him to make the right choice, he'd trusted the wrong person.
That evening, Detective Mitchell called.
She had obtained employment records from the marine repair yard.
"Elena, your father wasn't the only person who reported suspicious shipments."
I sat upright.
"Who else?"
"Three employees submitted complaints."
My heart pounded.
"What happened to them?"
"One resigned. Another relocated. The third died after an unrelated incident."
I felt sick.
"Did anyone investigate?"
"We're reviewing those cases."
Then Mitchell continued.
"There's something else."
"What?"
"Your father's final paycheck included an unusual bonus."
I frowned.
"Dad never mentioned a bonus."
"It was twenty-five thousand dollars."
I stared.
"That's impossible."
My father had died leaving debts.
We'd struggled to pay rent.
If he'd received twenty-five thousand dollars, where had it gone?
Mitchell lowered her voice.
"The payment was issued by a company controlled by Dominic Vale."
My stomach tightened.
"Why?"
"That's what we're investigating."
Then she revealed the part that made my heart stop.
"The bank records show the money was withdrawn in cash two days before your father died."
I stared at the wall.
"And the person who made the withdrawal?"
May you like
Mitchell hesitated.
"Your brother Caleb."
