Chapter 4 - THE EXPLOSION THAT MADE HIM DEAF
Salvatore Marquette had lost his hearing in an explosion fifteen years earlier.
My father had been there.
And according to the photograph, he'd tried to prevent it.
I stared at Detective Mitchell.
"Does Salvatore know?"
"We'll ask him."
My stomach tightened.
The man I'd spoken to in sign language.
The man who had protected Danny.
The man my father had apparently known.
Maybe he'd been hiding far more than his deafness.
That afternoon, Detective Mitchell arranged a formal meeting with Salvatore and his attorney.
A qualified ASL interpreter attended so nobody had to rely on me to communicate sensitive information.
I appreciated that.
For years, I'd served as Danny's interpreter when adults refused to make proper arrangements.
Sometimes I didn't mind.
But sometimes it meant carrying conversations no sister should have to handle.
This time, the professionals did their jobs.
Salvatore entered the room wearing a dark blue sweater instead of his usual suit.
He looked different without the intimidating clothes.
Younger.
More human.
When he saw me, he signed, How is Danny?
Safe.
Relief crossed his face.
Then Detective Mitchell showed him the photograph.
His expression changed immediately.
He stared at my father.
For several seconds, he didn't move.
Then he signed slowly.
Michael Bennett.
My heart hammered.
You knew him?
Salvatore nodded.
He saved my life.
I stopped breathing.
The interpreter translated as Salvatore explained.
Fifteen years earlier, a fire had broken out inside a warehouse owned by Marquette Shipping.
Salvatore was eighteen.
His father, Angelo Marquette, had been inside reviewing shipping records.
Michael Bennett was repairing electrical equipment nearby.
According to Salvatore, Michael had noticed something wrong shortly before the explosion.
"He warned us to leave," Salvatore signed.
His hands trembled.
"My father refused."
I swallowed.
"What happened?"
Salvatore looked down.
"There was an explosion. Michael pushed me behind a concrete barrier."
My eyes filled.
"He saved you?"
"Yes."
Salvatore touched the scar on his cheek.
"He was injured too. But he survived."
I stared.
For years, I'd believed my father had worked ordinary electrical jobs.
Now I was learning he'd saved the life of one of Chicago's most feared men.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.
Salvatore looked toward me.
"Because I didn't know you were Michael's daughter until the Russians sent your photograph."
My stomach tightened.
"Russians?"
He nodded.
"Someone from an old business dispute contacted my people and mentioned your family."
The detective leaned forward.
"What business dispute?"
Salvatore hesitated.
Then answered.
"Shipping contracts connected to my father's company."
I stared.
"And the silver wolf?"
Salvatore looked down at his jacket.
"Our family emblem."
Danny had said Dad warned us about men wearing it.
Salvatore's expression changed.
"Your father feared someone connected to my family."
I nodded.
"Yes."
For a long moment, neither spoke.
Then Salvatore signed something that surprised me.
"He may have been right."
My heart tightened.
Before I could ask more, Detective Mitchell examined the flash drive recovered from the toolbox.
Its contents had been safely copied and preserved.
A forensic specialist had recovered several files.
One contained an audio recording.
Another held financial documents.
And the final file was a video.
The date matched the night my father disappeared.
Detective Mitchell pressed play.
The screen showed Dad sitting inside a parked car.
He looked exhausted.
Frightened.
Then he spoke directly into the camera.
"If anything happens to me, don't believe I abandoned my children."
Tears streamed down my face.
The recording continued.
"Someone inside Marquette Shipping knows who caused the explosion."
A pause.
Then Dad said the words that made Salvatore go completely still.
May you like
"Angelo Marquette wasn't killed by his enemies."
"He was betrayed by his own brother."
