Chapter 2
The first answer came from the museum registrar.
Three months earlier, Bernadette had supervised the transfer of twenty-six boxes from storage rooms at Luciano’s estate.
Luciano remembered approving the project.
He had assumed the boxes contained old Venturi railroad memorabilia his father had stored for decades.
He had never checked.
That mistake immediately became important.
Museum registrar Claire Donnelly opened the transfer spreadsheet.
“Mrs. Venturi told us everything in those rooms had been cleared for accession.”
“By whom?”
Claire hesitated.
“Mr. Marcus Venturi.”
Luciano looked toward Marcus.
Marcus spread his hands.
“You told me to clean the place out.”
“I told you to move Dad’s railway collection.”
“That’s what we did.”
Luciano pointed toward Theo’s locomotive.
“That wasn’t my father’s.”
Bernadette interrupted.
“One object got mixed up.”
Claire looked uncomfortable.
Luciano noticed.
“What?”
She closed the office door.
“There have been other questions.”
Several objects entered the museum without proper provenance forms.
A silver pocket watch belonging to Luciano.
A set of cuff links that had belonged to Theo’s maternal grandfather.
Two framed family photographs from Luciano’s library.
An antique desk compass.
None were valuable enough to explain theft.
That made the situation stranger.
Bernadette had insisted they were part of the Venturi collection.
Luciano had assumed staff moved them during renovations.
Now they were registered as museum property.
Marcus leaned back.
“You own the museum.”
“Through the foundation.”
“So what difference does it make?”
Claire answered before Luciano could.
“A large one.”
Once accessioned, charitable museum property could not simply be treated like someone’s private closet.
Marcus looked annoyed.
Luciano looked at his cousin.
“Why were my personal things being turned into foundation assets?”
Bernadette’s expression changed.
“Because the family has spent thirty years pretending everything belongs to your side.”
Luciano stared at her.
There it was.
Something older than the wooden train.
“You think Theo’s toy belongs to you?”
“I think Felix deserves something too.”
“This is not about Felix.”
Bernadette laughed bitterly.
“It has always been about Felix.”
Marcus turned toward her.
“Bernie.”
The warning in his voice was unmistakable.
Luciano heard it.
Bernadette stopped talking.
That night the train remained beside Theo’s bed.
Luciano sat beside him until the boy fell asleep.
Before closing his eyes, Theo asked:
“Is Felix bad?”
“No.”
“Aunt Bernie?”
Luciano hesitated.
He had spent his life giving fast answers.
This one deserved better.
“She did something bad.”
Theo touched the wooden locomotive.
“Why?”
May you like
Luciano looked toward the bedroom door.
That was now the question.
