Chapter 2 - The Woman Behind the Kitchen Door
Clara had never seen Rico Moretti move that quickly.
One second he was seated.
The next he was standing.
“Dante.”
That single word sent three men toward the kitchen.
Clara instinctively pulled Leo closer as chairs scraped and diners whispered nervously.
Rico noticed.
His expression hardened.
“Take your hands off my son.”
Clara immediately released Leo.
Leo screamed.
Not the wild tantrum from before.
This scream sounded terrified.
He grabbed Clara’s apron with both hands.
“No! Clara stay!”
Rico froze.
So did Clara.
She had never told the boy her name.
“How does he know your name?” Rico asked.
“I don’t know.”
“That’s becoming a dangerous answer.”
Dante returned less than a minute later.
“Kitchen’s clear. Back exit was open.”
“Who was the woman?”
Marco stammered from nearby.
“That was Mrs. Bellini. Temporary kitchen supervisor.”
Clara shook her head.
“No. She introduced herself as Mrs. Bell. She’s the one who interviewed me.”
Rico stared at Marco.
“You hired her?”
Marco’s lips trembled.
“I thought you did.”
Silence.
Rico slowly turned toward Clara.
“Tell me everything she said.”
Clara remembered the interview clearly. Mrs. Bell had barely asked about restaurant experience. Instead, she had wanted to know where Clara lived, whether she had family in New York, whether anyone would notice if she suddenly quit.
At the time Clara had assumed the woman was simply strange.
Now those questions sounded different.
“She asked if I lived alone,” Clara said.
Rico’s expression changed.
“And?”
“I told her yes.”
Before Rico could respond, Leo tugged Clara’s sleeve.
“Red box.”
Rico crouched.
“What red box?”
Leo pointed under the table.
Dante checked first.
Taped beneath Rico’s chair was a tiny red plastic container.
Inside was a folded photograph.
Rico opened it.
His breathing stopped.
It showed Elena Moretti—alive—standing outside Il Destino.
The date stamped in the corner was impossible.
It had been taken nine days after her funeral.
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On the back, someone had written four words:
YOUR WIFE NEVER LEFT.
