Chapter 5 - FRANK’S BLOODY RETURN
Dominic raised his weapon before Frank crossed the foyer.
“Drop it.”
Frank did.
The gun hit marble.
Blood covered the right side of his coat.
Not his blood, he insisted.
Vincent stood between the staircase and Alina.
Not obviously.
But enough that she noticed.
“Where were you?” Vincent asked.
Frank breathed hard.
“Trying to find Gabriel Reyes.”
Alina stepped forward.
“You knew he was alive.”
Frank looked at her.
“Yes.”
Rage exploded.
“For how long?”
“Three years.”
She slapped him.
Dominic moved.
Vincent lifted one hand.
Let her.
Frank accepted the slap.
“You let me believe he was dead.”
“I was trying to keep you alive.”
She laughed bitterly.
“Men really love that sentence.”
Vincent’s gaze shifted.
He heard it too.
Frank lowered his eyes.
“You’re right.”
That surprised her.
Then Vincent pointed to Dominic’s gun.
“Why do you have that?”
Frank looked at Dominic.
“Because someone used it to kill a man tonight.”
Dominic’s face changed.
“Impossible.”
“My gun is locked in my office.”
Frank nodded.
“Go check.”
Security checked.
The gun was missing.
Dominic swore.
“Who died?”
Frank answered:
“Peter Salvi.”
Vincent went still.
Alina did not know the name.
“Who is that?”
“My father’s former accountant.”
Of course.
Always an accountant.
Peter had retired after Vittorio’s death.
He had contacted Frank that morning.
Claimed he wanted to talk about Sofia.
Frank went alone because he did not trust Dominic.
Dominic’s face hardened.
“Why not?”
“Because Sofia’s records name your father.”
Silence.
Dominic’s father, Carlo Russo, had served as Vittorio’s closest adviser until his death six years earlier.
Dominic looked stunned.
“What records?”
Frank removed a folded page from his coat.
Carlo Russo.
Thomas Bellini.
Vittorio Marchetti.
Three names.
Financial transfers.
Unknown destinations.
Sofia had circled Carlo’s name.
Dominic took the paper.
“My father?”
Frank nodded.
“She believed one of those three was hiding money.”
“Vittorio was her father.”
“Exactly.”
Dominic’s face changed.
“She suspected her own father?”
“Yes.”
Vincent looked at Frank.
“What happened to Peter?”
“When I arrived, someone was already there.”
“Who?”
“Masked.”
“Then?”
“We fought. He dropped the gun.”
“Dominic’s.”
“Yes.”
“And Peter?”
“Dead.”
“Why take the gun?”
“To stop police finding it beside the body.”
Dominic stared.
“You framed yourself by taking it.”
“I was improvising.”
Alina almost laughed despite herself.
Apparently criminal conspiracies also contained bad decision-making.
Vincent said:
“You knew Gabriel was alive.”
“Yes.”
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know.”
“Lie again and you leave here in restraints.”
Frank’s mouth tightened.
Then:
“He contacts me.”
Alina stepped closer.
“How?”
“Burner phones.”
“Why?”
“Because I helped Sofia.”
“So Gabriel trusted you.”
“Eventually.”
“Then why sabotage Vincent’s SUV?”
Frank looked horrified.
“I didn’t.”
“Mia saw a man.”
“Not me.”
“She saw a blue hat.”
Frank closed his eyes.
“Garage uniforms.”
“Yes.”
“Then someone wanted it to look like me.”
Vincent watched him.
“Who has access?”
Frank answered:
“Eight employees.”
“Names.”
He listed them.
One stood out.
Eddie Russo.
Dominic’s younger brother.
Dominic’s face went pale.
“My brother works nights.”
Frank nodded.
“And three nights ago he logged out at 1:12 a.m.”
Mia had seen the man during heavy rain around that time.
Dominic immediately called Eddie.
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
Then Marco—one of Vincent’s investigators—entered carrying security footage.
Eddie Russo leaving the estate after the sabotage window.
But he was not alone.
A woman sat in his passenger seat.
Alina recognized her.
Mrs. Alvarez.
The housekeeping supervisor who had access to her apartment.
The same woman who had been kind to Mia for eight months.
Then Vincent noticed something in the footage.
Mrs. Alvarez was holding Mia’s wooden truck.
May you like
Meaning the toy containing Gabriel’s bank key had passed through her hands before Mia ever received it.
And suddenly even Gabriel’s secret message might have been manipulated by someone else.
