Chapter 8 - THE WOMAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
Dominic hadn't spoken about his mother in years.
Her name was Elena Rizzo.
She loved classical music, lemon cake, and the kind of bright yellow flowers Dominic used to think were embarrassing.
When he was seventeen, she collapsed during a family dinner.
The doctors called it cardiac arrest.
His father was already dead by then.
Vincent took control of the family business.
And Dominic inherited a fortune wrapped in secrets.
Now, twenty years later, he sat staring at a note that suggested his mother had been murdered.
Piper stood beside him.
“Dominic…”
He raised one hand.
“Give me a minute.”
She waited.
The fireplace crackled.
Outside, rain tapped against the windows.
Finally, he looked at her.
“Your father knew Isabella.”
Piper nodded.
“Apparently.”
“And Isabella knew something about my mother's death.”
“Yes.”
Dominic closed his eyes.
“I spent years blaming myself.”
Piper's chest tightened.
“Why?”
“Because we argued that morning.”
He swallowed.
“She wanted me to stay away from Vincent. I told her she was paranoid.”
His voice cracked.
“Six hours later, she was dead.”
Piper sat beside him.
“You were seventeen.”
“I was old enough to listen.”
“You were a kid.”
Dominic looked away.
She touched his hand.
“Whatever happened, it wasn't your fault.”
He didn't answer.
But he didn't pull away either.
The next morning, Dominic arranged a meeting with Detective Rebecca Hayes, a veteran investigator who had spent years examining organized crime in Chicago.
She arrived wearing a gray coat and carrying a folder thick enough to make Piper nervous.
“Mr. Rizzo,” she said.
“Detective.”
“I understand you have information about Vincent.”
Dominic nodded.
“And my mother's death.”
Rebecca's expression changed.
“Elena Rizzo?”
“Yes.”
The detective sat.
“I've been waiting a long time for someone in your family to ask questions about her.”
Piper leaned forward.
“What do you mean?”
Rebecca opened the folder.
“Twenty years ago, Elena contacted the police about financial crimes involving Vincent. She claimed he was laundering money through medical charities.”
Dominic went still.
“She never told me.”
“She was trying to protect you.”
Rebecca continued.
“Three days before her death, she requested a meeting with a federal investigator.”
“What happened?”
“She never made it.”
Dominic stared at the documents.
Rebecca placed another photograph on the table.
A younger Elena stood beside a man in a truck driver's uniform.
Piper gasped.
“My father.”
Rebecca nodded.
“Thomas Lane was helping her collect evidence.”
Piper's eyes filled with tears.
“Why?”
“Because he discovered Vincent was using his trucking routes to move illegal shipments.”
Dominic's expression hardened.
“And my mother found out.”
“Yes.”
Rebecca leaned forward.
“Your mother and Thomas planned to expose him together.”
Piper looked at Dominic.
Their families had been connected long before they met.
Long before the shooting.
Long before the job interview.
Rebecca continued.
“After Elena died, Thomas disappeared from our investigation. Years later, he resurfaced with new evidence.”
Piper swallowed.
“What evidence?”
Rebecca hesitated.
“A recording.”
Dominic leaned forward.
“Of what?”
“Vincent admitting he arranged Elena's death.”
The room went silent.
Piper covered her mouth.
Rebecca looked directly at her.
“And Thomas Lane hid the recording somewhere Vincent couldn't find it.”
Piper's heart pounded.
“Where?”
Rebecca opened another document.
“A storage unit registered under your name.”
Piper stared.
“I don't have a storage unit.”
Rebecca's expression became serious.
“According to these records, you've been paying for one every month for five years.”
Then she placed a key on the table.
Attached was a small metal tag.
Unit 317.
May you like
And engraved on the back were four words.
PIPER KNOWS THE WAY.
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