Chapter 6 - The First SecretDaniel drove through three consecutive turns before the dark sedan finally disappeared.
Luca did not relax.
Neither did Emma.
The SUV entered a private underground garage beneath one of Moretti Development's older office buildings.
Security gates closed behind them.
"Where are we?"
Emma asked.
"My office."
"I thought we were going somewhere safe."
"We are."
"An office building?"
"After business hours, there are six people in the entire tower."
Emma looked around.
"And Connor knows your company."
"He knows the company."
"He doesn't know which properties have private residential floors."
The elevator opened directly into a large apartment above the executive offices.
Emma expected cold luxury.
Instead, the space felt strangely normal.
A gray couch.
A kitchen.
Books.
Framed photographs.
A blanket folded over one chair.
"You live here?"
"Sometimes."
Luca placed Emma's hospital bag on the counter.
"I thought this was for visiting executives."
"That was the other apartment."
Emma gave him a tired look.
"You own too many apartments."
"I've been told."
Grace began to fuss.
Emma immediately focused on her.
For several minutes, the entire world became diapers, bottles, blankets, and soft cries.
Luca kept his distance.
Emma appreciated that.
When Grace finally settled, Luca placed Marco's envelope on the table.
"The key."
Emma looked at it.
"We still have it."
"For now."
"You're thinking about going to Union Station."
"Yes."
"Tonight?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because Connor expects us to."
Emma sat across from him.
"Marco said the evidence is there."
"It may have been there three months ago."
"You think Connor found it?"
"If he had, he wouldn't be chasing the key."
Emma thought about the missing notebook.
"What was Marco investigating?"
Luca opened his laptop.
"Before he died, he was reviewing contracts connected to a riverfront redevelopment project."
"Connor advised one of the subcontractors."
"Marco found payments that made no sense."
"How much?"
"At least two million dollars."
Emma's eyes widened.
"Connor stole two million dollars?"
"Maybe."
"That's not an answer."
"Because I don't know."
Luca turned the screen toward her.
A list of company names appeared.
Several matched names Emma remembered from Marco's notebook.
She pointed.
"North Lake Consulting."
Luca looked at her.
"You remember that?"
"It was written three times."
"What else?"
Emma closed her eyes.
"Weston Materials."
"Blue Harbor."
"Something with initials."
"CJM?"
Luca froze.
"What?"
"Was it CJM?"
Emma nodded.
"Yes."
Luca leaned back.
"That's impossible."
"Why?"
"CJM was Marco's private company."
Emma stared at him.
"He had a company?"
"It wasn't operational."
"It was a holding company."
"Only Marco and our attorney knew about it."
"Then why was Connor writing payments through it?"
"I don't know."
Emma watched Luca carefully.
"You said Connor was stealing from your family."
"I said Marco suspected him."
"Now you're saying Marco's company appears in the records."
"Yes."
"What if Marco was involved?"
Luca's eyes hardened.
"He wasn't."
"You don't know that."
"I knew my brother."
Emma almost snapped back.
Then she remembered how little she had known about Marco's family.
Perhaps both of them had known different versions of the same man.
A phone rang.
Not Luca's.
Emma looked around.
The sound came from her hospital bag.
"My phone isn't in there."
Luca stood immediately.
The ringing continued.
He slowly opened the bag.
Inside was a cheap prepaid phone.
Emma stared at it.
"I've never seen that before."
Luca picked it up with a kitchen towel.
The screen displayed UNKNOWN CALLER.
He answered on speaker.
Neither spoke.
Connor's voice came through.
"Emma."
Her stomach turned.
Luca remained silent.
Connor laughed softly.
"I know you're listening too, Luca."
Luca's eyes narrowed.
"What do you want?"
"The key."
"Why?"
"Because Marco stole something that belonged to me."
Emma stepped closer.
"What?"
Connor became quiet.
Then he spoke directly to her.
"Ask Luca what Marco was doing the night he died."
Emma looked at Luca.
Connor continued.
"Ask him why Marco was driving north instead of coming home to you."
Luca's face gave nothing away.
Emma's heart began to race.
"What are you talking about?"
Connor laughed.
"He never told you?"
"Told me what?"
"The crash happened twenty miles from Luca's lake house."
Emma slowly turned toward Luca.
"You said Marco died outside Milwaukee."
"He did."
"Was he going to see you?"
Luca said nothing.
Connor's voice returned.
"That's the first secret."
The line disconnected.
Emma stared at Luca.
"Was Marco going to your house that night?"
Luca closed his eyes briefly.
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I don't know why he was coming."
Emma stood.
"You knew he was coming."
"He texted me."
"What did he say?"
Luca opened his phone.
He searched old messages.
Then he placed it on the table.
Marco's final message appeared on screen.
I found the person behind Connor.
Don't trust anyone until I get there.
Emma read the words twice.
"Who was behind him?"
May you like
Luca looked toward the dark windows.
"I've spent three months trying to figure that out."
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