Chapter 13 - Eleven Minutes of DarknessThe darkness lasted eleven seconds.
It felt much longer.
Emma dropped behind the dining table with Grace against her chest.
Luca moved toward her immediately.
Daniel's flashlight appeared from the hallway.
"Everyone stay down."
Glass shattered somewhere near the back of the house.
Detective Hayes drew her weapon and moved with another officer toward the sound.
Luca stayed beside Emma.
"I'm here."
She could barely hear him over her heartbeat.
Emergency lights flickered on.
The dining room became dimly red.
Vincent stood against the wall.
Michael was gone.
Luca looked around.
"Michael?"
No answer.
The rear door stood open.
Hayes returned.
"Someone exited through the kitchen."
"Michael?"
"We don't know."
Daniel checked the security panel.
"Exterior cameras went down with the power."
Emma stared at him.
"Again?"
Daniel looked offended.
"Not my system this time."
Vincent's house used a separate security company.
Hayes ordered officers outside.
Five minutes later, they found Michael near the garden wall.
He was alive.
Shaken.
Bleeding slightly from a cut on his forehead.
Someone had struck him and taken his phone.
Michael sat in an ambulance while Hayes questioned him.
"I didn't see the person."
"Male?"
"I think so."
"Height?"
"Average."
"Clothing?"
"Dark."
Luca stood nearby.
"Why did you leave the room?"
Michael looked at him.
"I heard someone call my name."
"Who?"
"I thought it was Adrian."
Vincent frowned.
"Adrian?"
Michael nodded.
"The voice came from the kitchen."
Emma watched him closely.
"You followed it?"
"I wasn't thinking."
Hayes crossed her arms.
"That's convenient."
Michael looked exhausted.
"You think I staged this?"
"I think nearly everyone in this story has lied at least once."
No one argued.
The power returned.
Security footage showed nothing useful.
Exactly eleven minutes of footage from the external cameras had been erased before the outage.
Luca noticed the number.
"Eleven minutes."
Emma looked at him.
"What?"
"The townhouse cameras were down for eleven minutes."
Hayes frowned.
"Same duration."
Daniel checked both system logs.
"Different companies."
"Different software."
"Same shutdown window."
Emma felt cold.
"So whoever is doing this knows both systems."
Luca looked toward Michael.
Michael noticed.
"No."
Luca said nothing.
"I don't have access to the townhouse system."
"You know the company that installed it."
"So does Adrian."
"So does my father."
Vincent stepped forward.
"Enough."
Emma looked at all four men.
Powerful men.
Old secrets.
Family loyalty.
Money.
Fear.
Marco had lived in the center of this world while pretending none of it existed.
No wonder he had wanted a different life.
Grace began to cry.
Emma carried her into a quiet sitting room.
Luca followed but remained at the doorway.
"You okay?"
"No."
"Fair answer."
Emma looked at him.
"I want out."
Luca's face changed.
"Out of what?"
"Your family."
"Your company."
"Connor."
"Marco's investigation."
"All of it."
Luca nodded slowly.
"Then we'll get you out."
Emma laughed bitterly.
"Can you?"
He did not answer.
"I don't think you can."
Grace settled.
Emma looked down at her.
"I wanted one thing."
"A quiet life."
"Marco wanted that too."
"Look what happened."
Luca stepped into the room.
"Emma."
"No."
She looked directly at him.
"I need you to hear this."
"Grace is not evidence."
"She's not a Moretti asset."
"She's not leverage."
"She is my daughter."
"I know."
"Then help me end this."
Luca's phone rang.
Detective Hayes.
He answered.
Her voice came quickly.
"We found Adrian."
"Where?"
"Warehouse district."
"Alive?"
A pause.
"Yes."
Luca exhaled.
"What's he saying?"
"Almost nothing."
"Except one thing."
"What?"
Hayes lowered her voice.
"He says he didn't leave the photograph."
"He says he didn't write the note."
Luca looked toward Emma.
"And?"
Hayes continued.
"He says he knows who did."
Emma heard every word.
Luca asked the question.
"Who?"
May you like
Hayes answered.
"Daniel."
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