Chapter 10: The Truth Beneath the Floorboards
Clara Vance had always believed fear announced itself.
A scream.
A warning.
A person running toward danger.
She was wrong.
Sometimes fear arrived quietly.
Sometimes it looked like a message written on glass.
Sometimes it looked like a dead man who had spent his final moments trying to protect you.
Michael Hale was gone.
The only person who could explain her mother’s secrets was dead.
And the person who killed him knew Clara’s name.
Rico stood in Elena’s bedroom, staring at the words on the mirror.
YOU NEVER KNEW HER.
The message was not just a threat.
It was an accusation.
Clara looked at him.
“What does that mean?””
Rico didn’t answer.
“Rico.””
He finally turned.
“It means Elena was hiding something.””
“She was already hiding something.””
“No.””
His voice was quiet.
“Something bigger.””
Dante entered the room.
“The police are outside.””
Rico’s expression hardened.
“Already?””
“They arrived five minutes ago.””
Clara looked confused.
“How?””
Dante hesitated.
Then:
“Someone called them.””
“Who?””
Dante looked uncomfortable.
“They said they were reporting evidence connected to Elena Moretti’s murder.””
Rico immediately understood.
“This is a setup.””
The police entered minutes later.
Detective Sarah Collins walked into the room with two officers behind her.
She was younger than Clara expected.
Calm.
Sharp.
The kind of person who noticed everything.
“Ricardo Moretti.””
Rico nodded.
“Detective.””
Her eyes moved around the room.
Then stopped on Clara.
“And you are?””
“Clara Vance.””
The detective’s expression changed.
Only slightly.
But Clara saw it.
“You know my name.””
Sarah looked at Rico.
“I know a lot of names connected to this case.””
Rico stepped forward.
“What happened?””
“Michael Hale was found dead two hours ago.””
“I know.””
“Then you know he was working with you.””
Rico’s face stayed blank.
“He was helping us.””
“Helping you find what?””
Nobody answered.
The detective noticed.
“Interesting.””
Clara felt the tension rising.
“What are you accusing us of?””
Sarah looked at her.
“I’m not accusing you.””
A pause.
“Not yet.””
The words made Clara uncomfortable.
Before leaving, Detective Collins stopped beside the mirror.
She stared at the message.
Then she said something unexpected.
“She wrote something similar.””
Rico turned.
“Who?””
The detective looked at him.
“Elena.””
The room went still.
“What?””
Sarah opened her notebook.
“Three days before she died, Elena came to the police station.””
Rico’s face changed.
“She never told me.””
“I know.””
“Why?””
The detective looked at him.
“Because she said if she told you, you would try to fix it.””
Clara looked at Rico.
That sounded exactly like something someone would say about him.
“What did she say?””
Sarah closed the notebook.
“She said there was a traitor in your family.””
Rico’s jaw tightened.
“Antonio.””
Sarah didn’t respond.
She didn’t need to.
After the police left, Rico searched Elena’s room again.
This time differently.
Not like a husband looking for memories.
Like a man looking for evidence.
Clara watched him move furniture.
Open drawers.
Check walls.
“You think she hid something here?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because Elena knew me.””
Clara looked at him.
“What does that mean?””
“It means she knew I would search for the obvious things.””
He touched an old bookshelf.
“She would hide something where I wouldn’t look.””
“Where?””
Rico stared at the floor.
Then slowly removed the rug beside the bed.
There was a small mark in the wood.
A square outline.
Clara stepped closer.
“There.””
Rico pulled up the floorboard.
Underneath was a small metal box.
Inside:
A flash drive.
A handwritten journal.
And a photograph.
Clara picked up the photograph first.
Her breath stopped.
It showed Elena.
Margaret.
Adrian.
And Rico.
All together.
Young.
Smiling.
Happy.
Like they had once been one family.
“You knew my parents.””
Rico looked at the picture.
“Yes.””
“How well?””
He didn’t answer.
That frightened her more.
She opened the journal.
The first page contained one sentence.
Not from Elena.
From Margaret.
Clara,
If you found this, then Elena trusted you enough to show you the truth.
But before you read anything else, you need to understand one thing.
Your father did not die because he betrayed the Morettis.
He died because he discovered who betrayed them.
Clara looked at Rico.
“Who?””
Rico inserted the flash drive into a laptop.
A video appeared.
The screen showed Elena.
Alive.
Six months ago.
Clara covered her mouth.
Rico stopped breathing.
Elena looked directly into the camera.
“If you’re watching this, then I’m already gone.””
Her voice trembled.
“But I need you to know the truth.””
She looked down.
“Rico did not kill me.””
A pause.
“He tried to save me.””
Rico closed his eyes.
Then Elena said the words that changed everything.
“The person who wanted me dead was not outside this family.””
The video glitched.
The screen froze.
Then one final frame appeared.
A shadow.
A man standing behind Elena.
A man Clara recognized.
May you like
Because she had seen him yesterday.
Antonio Moretti.
