Chapter 6 - THE NECKLACE SHE NEVER TOOK OFF
Norah Hayes had worn the same silver necklace since she was eleven.
A small heart-shaped pendant.
Scratched.
Tarnished.
Worth almost nothing.
Her father had given it to her on her birthday.
He'd told her:
“As long as you have this, you'll always have a piece of home.”
Now she was wondering whether he'd hidden evidence inside it.
Her fingers rose to her throat.
Gabriel noticed.
“Norah?”
She slowly pulled the necklace from beneath her sweater.
A tiny silver heart rested against her palm.
Vincent leaned closer.
“May I see it?”
Norah hesitated.
Then nodded.
The pendant had a seam along its edge.
Almost invisible.
Gabriel remembered seeing similar lockets years ago.
He looked toward Norah.
“Your father may have used it to store something small.”
She stared.
“Like what?”
“A memory card.”
Her hands trembled.
With her permission, a technician examined the pendant.
A hidden compartment was discovered.
Inside was a tiny storage card.
Norah began crying.
Her father had been protecting information all these years.
And she'd carried it without knowing.
The card was documented and examined by investigators.
It contained financial records.
Photographs.
Copies of signed documents.
And several videos.
One video showed a warehouse.
Men unloading medical equipment.
Patients being transferred between vehicles.
Another showed Adrian Rossi speaking with Leonard Mercer, director of a private healthcare company.
Gabriel's jaw tightened.
He knew Leonard.
The man attended family dinners.
Managed several charitable partnerships.
And had been present at Salvatore's funeral.
Now his name appeared repeatedly in the records.
Norah looked toward Gabriel.
“What does this mean?”
He took a breath.
“It means your father was trying to expose something much larger than financial fraud.”
She stared.
“And someone wanted him silenced.”
Gabriel nodded.
Then Norah asked the question that had haunted her since the hospital.
“Why did Raymond hurt me?”
Gabriel looked down.
“Because Adrian believed you had the evidence.”
Norah's eyes widened.
“But he didn't know it was in my necklace.”
“Apparently not.”
She touched the pendant.
The one thing Raymond never tried to take.
He always demanded money.
Never jewelry.
Never photographs.
Never the little silver heart she wore beneath her shirt.
Now she understood why he kept returning.
He was trying to frighten her into revealing something.
But he didn't know what.
Later that evening, Gabriel met with his attorney.
He provided the documents and agreed to cooperate with investigators.
Several accounts connected to the Rossi businesses would require independent examination.
Gabriel knew the investigation could expose his own activities.
He accepted that.
For the first time, he wanted the truth more than he wanted control.
Then Vincent arrived.
His expression was tense.
“Boss, we located Thomas Hayes.”
Gabriel stood.
“Where?”
“A private facility near Madison.”
Norah stopped breathing.
“Is he alive?”
Vincent nodded.
“Yes.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Can I see him?”
Vincent hesitated.
“We're arranging it through the appropriate authorities.”
Then he looked toward Gabriel.
“There's something else.”
“What?”
“Thomas isn't being held alone.”
Gabriel's expression hardened.
“Who else is there?”
May you like
Vincent swallowed.
“Your mother, Isabella Rossi.”
