Chapter 6: Clara's Real Identity
The front door exploded inward.
Three armed men stormed into the townhouse.
“DOWN ON THE FLOOR!””
Victor pushed me and my mother behind the staircase.
“Stay here!””
One of the men raised his weapon.
“Victor Romano! Hands where we can see them!””
Victor slowly lifted his hands.
“Who sent you?””
The man smiled.
“Your fiancée.””
Victor's expression hardened.
“Clara.””
“That's right.””
My mother grabbed my wrist.
“There's another way out.””
“Where?””
“Behind the pantry. There's a passage into the neighboring building.””
I stared at her.
“You knew this place had an escape tunnel?””
“Your father designed it.””
Before I could ask another question, a gunshot shattered the living room window.
Victor dropped to the floor.
The armed men scattered.
“GO!”” he shouted.
My mother pulled me through a narrow kitchen doorway.
We rushed past an old refrigerator and entered a cramped pantry.
She pushed a wooden shelf aside, revealing a metal door.
“Your father built this when he started working for Victor.””
“Why?””
“Because he knew someone would eventually come for us.””
She turned a small handle.
The door opened with a metallic groan.
We crawled through the narrow passage.
Behind us, another gunshot rang out.
“Victor!”” I screamed.
My mother grabbed my shoulder.
“Keep moving!””
The passage ended in a storage room beneath the neighboring building.
We climbed a short ladder and emerged inside a dusty basement.
My mother locked the hatch.
For a moment, we stood silently.
Then I turned toward her.
“Tell me everything.””
She wiped dust from her coat.
“Lena, we don't have much time.””
“I don't care. You owe me the truth.””
She nodded.
“Five years ago, your father discovered that Leon was using Romano Holdings to purchase properties through shell companies. Those properties were being used to hide people, money, and evidence.””
“People?””
“Witnesses. Employees who threatened to expose him. Some were forced to disappear.””
I felt sick.
“And Clara?””
My mother swallowed.
“Clara wasn't Victor's fiancée when this began. She was his father's personal assistant.””
Victor's father's death suddenly seemed much darker.
“She was involved in the murder?”” I asked.
“I don't know whether she planned it. But she helped cover it up.””
“Why would she marry Victor?””
“To gain control of the company.””
I leaned against the wall.
“And Leon?””
“Leon was the man who organized everything.””
I looked at her.
“Then why did he need Dad alive?””
“Because your father had a ledger containing the names of everyone involved. But the ledger wasn't the only evidence.””
“What else?””
My mother reached inside her coat.
She pulled out a small brass key.
“This opens a safety deposit box in Manhattan.””
I stared at it.
“What's inside?””
“Your father's final recording.””
“Where is the box?””
“Federal Trust Bank. Box 417.””
Before I could respond, a heavy bang echoed from above.
Someone had entered the building.
My mother grabbed my hand.
“We need to go.””
We reached the street through the building's rear entrance.
A black sedan waited at the curb.
Victor stood beside it, blood running down his cheek.
The moment I saw him, I rushed forward.
“Are you hurt?””
“Just a scratch.””
“Where are the men?””
“Gone.””
My mother looked at him suspiciously.
“Why did you let them go?””
Victor opened the car door.
“Because I needed them to believe I was dead.””
I frowned.
“What?””
He showed us his phone.
A message from an unknown number displayed a photograph of the townhouse living room.
The picture showed a body lying on the floor.
The face was obscured by blood.
The message read:
Victor Romano eliminated. Package secured.
My mother stared at him.
“Who did you use?””
“An old friend.””
“Victor, this is dangerous.””
“I know.””
He turned toward me.
“Get inside.””
I climbed into the car.
As we drove away, my mother finally handed me the brass key.
“Whatever happens, don't let Leon get this.””
I closed my fingers around it.
“Why didn't you give it to the police?””
“Because some of them are working for him.””
Victor glanced at her through the rearview mirror.
“She's right.””
I looked between them.
“Then who can we trust?””
Victor was quiet for several seconds.
Finally, he answered.
“There's one federal investigator who has been building a case against Leon for years. Her name is Agent Rebecca Shaw.””
My mother suddenly stiffened.
“Rebecca Shaw?””
Victor nodded.
“Do you know her?””
My mother looked out the window.
“I knew her father.””
“Who was he?”” I asked.
She didn't answer.
Victor did.
“Thomas Shaw. He was the prosecutor who investigated your father's disappearance.””
I stared at him.
“Isn't that a good thing?””
My mother shook her head.
“Thomas Shaw died in a fire six months after Daniel disappeared.””
The car went silent.
Then she turned toward me.
“Lena, Rebecca isn't trying to catch Leon.””
I frowned.
“Then what is she doing?””
My mother looked directly into my eyes.
“She's trying to find the ledger before anyone else does.””
Victor's phone rang.
He answered.
A woman's voice came through.
“Mr. Romano, this is Agent Rebecca Shaw.””
Victor put the call on speaker.
“I'm listening.””
“I understand you have Margaret Hart with you.””
My mother closed her eyes.
Rebecca continued.
“I'm prepared to offer you protection, but there's one condition.””
“What condition?”” Victor asked.
“Bring me Lena Hart.””
My stomach tightened.
“Why me?””
Rebecca paused.
Then she said something none of us expected.
“Because your father didn't steal the ledger, Lena.””
I gripped the brass key.
“What are you talking about?””
“Your father gave it to you before he disappeared.””
I shook my head.
“No. I was twenty-four years old. I never received anything.””
Rebecca's voice softened.
“Check the music box your mother gave you when you were sixteen.””
I turned toward my mother.
Her face had gone completely white.
“Mom?””
She looked down.
Then she whispered the words that changed everything.
“I didn't give you that music box, Lena.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
“Your father did.””
Victor slowly pulled the car to the side of the road.
My mother reached for my hand.
“And the last time I saw him, he told me something I never wanted you to discover.””
I could barely breathe.
“What did he say?””
She swallowed.
“He said the person who hid the ledger was not your father.””
She looked directly at me.
“It was you.””
I stared at her, unable to understand.
Then my phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
A photograph appeared.
It showed my childhood bedroom.
My old music box sat open on the bed.
And beside it was a handwritten note.
Hello, Lena. It's time to remember what you did five years ago.
May you like
Below the note was a second message.
*YOUR FATHER IS WAITING FOR YOU. COME ALONE.*
