The door opened only three inches before Luca slammed his palm against it.<\/p>\n
Matteo’s younger brother, Carlo De Luca, stood outside.<\/p>\n
He was fifty-six, silver-haired, broad-shouldered, and dressed in a charcoal overcoat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d Carlo demanded.<\/p>\n
Matteo didn’t answer immediately.<\/p>\n
He was still holding the photograph.<\/p>\n
Elena noticed Carlo’s eyes find it.<\/p>\n
His expression changed.<\/p>\n
Barely.<\/p>\n
But enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou recognize my mother,\u201d Elena said.<\/p>\n
Carlo looked at her.<\/p>\n
Then Matteo.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know exactly who she is,\u201d Matteo replied.<\/p>\n
Carlo smiled without warmth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo held up the photograph.<\/p>\n
\u201cTry again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlo’s smile disappeared.<\/p>\n
Elena looked between the brothers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened twenty-five years ago?\u201d<\/p>\n
Neither answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m done being ignored.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlo studied her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have Isabella’s eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena’s breath caught.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you did know her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlo stepped inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew everyone who worked here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo moved between them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s close enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlo’s eyebrows rose.<\/p>\n
\u201cProtective already?\u201d<\/p>\n
The words landed strangely.<\/p>\n
Matteo’s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
Elena looked at the photograph again.<\/p>\n
Pregnant Isabella.<\/p>\n
Young Matteo.<\/p>\n
A date handwritten beneath them.<\/p>\n
January 18.<\/p>\n
Twenty-five years ago.<\/p>\n
Eight months before Elena was born.<\/p>\n
Her mind rejected the obvious conclusion.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cElena\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She backed away.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father was Anthony Rossi.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe died before I was born.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew Anthony.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena’s voice shook.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat aren’t you telling me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo glanced at Carlo.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHere is exactly where you’re telling me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlo removed his coat.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis should be interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo turned on him.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s my restaurant too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlo looked toward the plate.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo watched him carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlo’s gaze dropped to the food.<\/p>\n
Then returned to Matteo.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have no idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone tried to poison me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Several diners gasped.<\/p>\n
Carlo’s reaction was almost perfect.<\/p>\n
Almost.<\/p>\n
He looked surprised.<\/p>\n
But he didn’t look at the plate.<\/p>\n
He looked at Elena.<\/p>\n
Matteo saw it too.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew she was here,\u201d Matteo said.<\/p>\n
Carlo frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon’t be ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMatteo, you’ve had a shock.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou haven’t called me Matteo since our mother died.\u201d<\/p>\n
The brothers stared at each other.<\/p>\n
Elena realized she was watching an old war resume.<\/p>\n
Then Carlo laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think I poisoned you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think someone wanted Elena blamed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlo looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would anyone care about a waitress?\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo’s voice became dangerously quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s what I’m going to find out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena interrupted.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. You’re going to tell me about my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo turned.<\/p>\n
She held the photograph.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow.\u201d<\/p>\n
For several seconds, he said nothing.<\/p>\n
Then he nodded toward the private dining room.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inside, the noise of the restaurant faded.<\/p>\n
Matteo closed the door.<\/p>\n
Elena remained standing.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnthony Rossi was your mother’s husband,\u201d Matteo began.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLegally.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena stared.<\/p>\n
Matteo continued carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnthony married Isabella when she was already pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room seemed to tilt.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou’re lying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish I were.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena’s fingers tightened around the photograph.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
She couldn’t finish.<\/p>\n
Matteo looked at her.<\/p>\n
And she knew.<\/p>\n
The same dark eyes.<\/p>\n
The same shape around the mouth.<\/p>\n
Small things she had never noticed because she’d never had a reason.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElena.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She backed into a chair.<\/p>\n
Matteo didn’t approach.<\/p>\n
He gave her space.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you saying you’re my father?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
That stopped her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don’t know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIsabella never told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why are you doing this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she left before I could ask.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena laughed once, bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother raised me alone while you became whatever this is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her hand swept toward the restaurant.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now you suddenly care?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn’t know you existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew she was pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew after she left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnthony told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena stared.<\/p>\n
Matteo continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came here once. He told me Isabella had married him and wanted nothing more to do with the De Luca family.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you believed him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was twenty-five. My father had just been killed. There was a war happening around us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn’t look for her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow hard?\u201d<\/p>\n
The question hurt him.<\/p>\n
She saw it.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot hard enough,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
For the first time, Elena had no immediate answer.<\/p>\n
Matteo reached into his jacket slowly.<\/p>\n
He removed a worn leather wallet.<\/p>\n
Behind several cards was a folded photograph.<\/p>\n
Isabella.<\/p>\n
The same photograph.<\/p>\n
Except Matteo’s copy had been torn in half.<\/p>\n
Elena looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou kept this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor twenty-five years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I loved her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
She didn’t want to hear that.<\/p>\n
She didn’t want her dead mother transformed into part of Matteo De Luca’s mythology.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother hated violence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo did I.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou expect me to believe that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo put the photograph away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI expect nothing from you.\u201d<\/p>\n
A knock came.<\/p>\n
Luca entered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe traced the call.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo straightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDisposable phone. Signal originated two blocks away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCameras?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChecking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luca hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere’s something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
He handed Matteo a plastic evidence sleeve.<\/p>\n
Inside was a folded piece of paper.<\/p>\n
\u201cFound in Marco’s pocket.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo opened it.<\/p>\n
A bank transfer receipt.<\/p>\n
Fifty thousand dollars.<\/p>\n
Elena stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho paid him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShell company.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo read the name.<\/p>\n
His eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Luca said, \u201cThe company was created three weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re working on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena looked at the receipt.<\/p>\n
At the bottom was a handwritten notation.<\/p>\n
IR.<\/p>\n
Her stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother’s initials.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo nodded.<\/p>\n
Isabella Rossi.<\/p>\n
Someone was dragging a dead woman’s name through every piece of evidence.<\/p>\n
Elena suddenly remembered something.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe notebook.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother’s recipe notebook. Whoever broke into my apartment put it in my bag.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the dining room.\u201d<\/p>\n
They returned.<\/p>\n
The notebook lay where Elena had left it.<\/p>\n
Matteo opened it.<\/p>\n
Pages of recipes.<\/p>\n
Some written in Italian.<\/p>\n
Some English.<\/p>\n
Small stains.<\/p>\n
Measurements.<\/p>\n
Notes.<\/p>\n
Elena felt an ache seeing her mother’s handwriting.<\/p>\n
Matteo turned pages carefully.<\/p>\n
Then stopped.<\/p>\n
One page had been removed.<\/p>\n
Freshly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn’t tear this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat recipe was here?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena knew immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe dish.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one I cooked tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo turned to Luca.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone stole the original recipe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo examined the binding.<\/p>\n
Something protruded from the torn seam.<\/p>\n
A tiny corner of paper.<\/p>\n
He pulled it free.<\/p>\n
It wasn’t recipe paper.<\/p>\n
It was thinner.<\/p>\n
Translucent.<\/p>\n
Matteo unfolded it.<\/p>\n
Numbers.<\/p>\n
Dates.<\/p>\n
Initials.<\/p>\n
Bank accounts.<\/p>\n
Elena frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo didn’t answer.<\/p>\n
Carlo did.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone turned.<\/p>\n
He stood ten feet away.<\/p>\n
Nobody had heard him approach.<\/p>\n
Matteo folded the paper.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should have left.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlo looked at Elena.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother was a clever woman.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena’s pulse quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlo smiled faintly.<\/p>\n
\u201cA reason she should have stayed gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo moved toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cCareful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlo raised his hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn’t threaten anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn’t need to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena looked at the paper.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did my mother know?\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo finally answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father kept two sets of books.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBooks?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFinancial records.\u201d<\/p>\n
The meaning became clear.<\/p>\n
\u201cIllegal money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd my mother found them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe found something worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlo’s face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo ignored him.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father had been stealing from his own partners. Isabella discovered where the money went.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena looked at Carlo.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo unfolded the translucent paper again.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese numbers may be part of the missing ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlo stepped forward.<\/p>\n
Luca blocked him.<\/p>\n
Elena stared at the faded handwriting.<\/p>\n
Then she recognized something.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn’t my mother’s handwriting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cCertain?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena leaned closer.<\/p>\n
A memory surfaced.<\/p>\n
Birthday cards.<\/p>\n
Christmas cards.<\/p>\n
A man who visited twice a year until she was twelve.<\/p>\n
Her mother’s old friend.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnthony’s.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo’s expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnthony Rossi?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut he died before you were born.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena looked up slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother told everyone he died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI met him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Matteo’s face emptied of expression.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil I was twelve.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlo stepped backward.<\/p>\n
Matteo saw it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Anthony now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThink.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe stopped visiting after Mom got sick.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he call himself?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elena’s heart pounded.<\/p>\n
\u201cUncle Tony.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo turned toward Carlo.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlo headed for the door.<\/p>\n
Luca blocked him.<\/p>\n
\u201cMove.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo approached.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Anthony?\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlo smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou’re chasing ghosts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Elena’s phone vibrated.<\/p>\n
A message.<\/p>\n
Unknown number.<\/p>\n
A photograph loaded.<\/p>\n
Elena nearly dropped the phone.<\/p>\n
Her apartment door.<\/p>\n
Open.<\/p>\n
Another photograph arrived.<\/p>\n
Her mother’s bedroom.<\/p>\n
Then a third.<\/p>\n
A man stood inside Elena’s apartment holding the missing recipe page.<\/p>\n
His face was older.<\/p>\n
His hair was gray.<\/p>\n
But Elena recognized him immediately.<\/p>\n
Uncle Tony.<\/p>\n
Beneath the image was one sentence:<\/p>\n
ASK MATTEO WHAT HE DID TO ISABELLA.<\/p>\n
Elena looked up.<\/p>\n
Matteo had gone completely still.<\/p>\n
Then another message appeared.<\/p>\n
A location.<\/p>\n
And beneath it:<\/p>\n
COME ALONE IF YOU WANT THE TRUTH.<\/p>\n
Elena reached for her coat.<\/p>\n
Matteo caught her wrist.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon’t.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pulled free.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows what happened to my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo looked at the location.<\/p>\n
His expression changed.<\/p>\n
Elena saw genuine fear.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou recognize it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo stared at the address.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"