Chapter 7
Lucia began shaking.
Giovanni did not raise his voice.
That made her cry harder.
“Tell me.”
Her lips trembled.
“I picked it up.”
“When?”
“After they moved Mom to the sofa.”
“Why?”
Lucia wiped her face.
“She kept trying to call you.”
“And?”
Lucia’s eyes squeezed shut.
“I told her to wait.”
Giovanni’s chest tightened.
“Why?”
“She was furious. Emilio was panicking. Clarissa was screaming. Mom was saying she would destroy everything.”
Giovanni stared at her.
“So?”
Lucia’s hands closed into fists.
“I thought if you came, somebody would die.”
Silence.
There it was.
Not fear of police.
Fear of Giovanni.
Lucia continued.
“You were already angry about Seabrook. If Mom told you Emilio had taken money…”
Her breathing fractured.
“I thought you would kill him.”
Emilio looked toward her.
For the first time, genuine grief crossed his face.
“You protected me?”
Lucia snapped around.
“Don't make it sound noble.”
Her voice broke.
“I protected everybody except Mom.”
Giovanni closed his eyes.
The sentence entered deeper than any accusation.
Lucia lowered her face.
“I told her I needed ten minutes.”
“For what?”
No answer.
Giovanni’s eyes sharpened.
“Ten minutes for what?”
Lucia whispered:
“To get the ledger.”
Emilio looked up.
Clarissa’s face changed.
Giovanni felt the room shift again.
Lucia admitted searching Helena’s office while Emilio and Clarissa argued.
She wanted the red ledger before Giovanni arrived.
If she could hide it, perhaps Helena would calm down.
Perhaps Emilio could repay the money.
Perhaps the family could survive.
Giovanni looked at his daughter.
“You left your mother in distress to search for evidence.”
Lucia sobbed.
“I thought she was stable.”
“Did you find it?”
Lucia shook her head.
“No.”
Then Emilio spoke.
“Yes, you did.”
Lucia stared at him.
Emilio’s voice became quiet.
“I saw it in your bag when we left.”
Lucia stopped crying.
May you like
Giovanni slowly looked at her.
She had just lied about the one object everyone had been searching for.
