Chapter 5 - THE MAN WHO OPENED THE DOORS
His name was Richard Hale.
He had worked for Luca for eleven years, managed schedules, coordinated vendors, and handled private arrangements. He was the silver-haired man I had noticed whispering near the fireplace during the dinner.
I had thought he was simply an old family friend.
Now Luca stood in his study with the folder open, reading the records as if each page had become heavier.
“Richard approved the invoice?” he asked.
Matteo nodded. “The payment went through a consulting account. The invoice described it as event audio support.”
“Was it authorized?”
“Not by security. Not by you.”
“Where is Richard?”
“He left the estate at 10:12 last night. He hasn't returned.”
Luca closed the folder.
“Find him.”
Matteo left.
I stood near the door, unsure whether I should be there. Luca noticed me.
“You can go, Grace.”
I started to leave, then stopped. “Sir, may I ask something?”
“Of course.”
“Why would your assistant help someone put a transmitter under your chair?”
Luca looked toward the window. “Because he knows my schedule. He knows which meetings are private. He knows which people I trust.”
“Did he know about the meeting after dinner?”
Luca turned. “What meeting?”
I hesitated. “The voice said, ‘Luca is still inside.’ Then the other man said they had the package. But the first voice also mentioned the west entrance.”
Matteo had returned quietly. He heard the last part.
“Sir,” he said, “there was supposed to be a meeting in the library after dinner. Only four people knew.”
“Who?”
“Me, you, Richard, and Mr. Bellini.”
Vanessa's father.
Luca's face became still.
“Why was Mr. Bellini included?”
“He requested a private conversation about the engagement agreement.”
I had no idea what an engagement agreement was, but Luca's expression told me it mattered.
“Cancel it,” he said.
Matteo nodded.
Luca looked at me again. “You may have just identified why the device was installed.”
That afternoon, I called my mother. She said a dark sedan had parked across the street from her house for nearly twenty minutes.
“Probably someone waiting for a delivery,” she said, trying to sound casual.
“Did anyone approach you?”
“No. Why?”
I told her Luca's security team would check the area. I did not mention Vanessa's comment.
Mom was quiet. “Grace, are you in trouble?”
“I don't know.”
“Then come home.”
“I can't yet.”
“You don't owe that job your safety.”
“I know.”
When I hung up, Matteo was waiting outside the door.
“Your mother is safe,” he said. “We checked the street. The vehicle belonged to a private investigator hired by a company connected to Celia Voss.”
“Why would someone investigate my mother?”
“We don't know. But we have a record of the vehicle and the investigator's employer.”
He paused.
“Grace, did Vanessa ever ask you when Luca would be alone?”
I thought of the previous week. Vanessa had asked me whether Luca usually went to his study after dinner. She had asked whether he preferred the library or the west sitting room for private conversations.
I had answered casually.
My stomach dropped.
“She asked me where he usually went,” I said. “I didn't think it mattered.”
Matteo's expression tightened. “When?”
“Last Tuesday.”
May you like
He took out his notebook.
“Tell me exactly what she asked.”
