Chapter 4 - THE MECHANIC WITH A SECRET|
Roman Costa did not believe in coincidences.
He believed in money, leverage, information, and the uncomfortable truth that people often revealed their intentions when they thought nobody was watching.
The photograph of Finn Walker standing beside Norah's father suggested that the mechanic had entered his household for reasons beyond repairing engines.
Roman studied the image while Marcus stood opposite his desk.
“Where was this taken?”
“Outside a cemetery in Queens. Three days before Mr. Bennett died.”
“Who took it?”
“We're still tracing the source.”
Roman set the photograph down.
“Find out everything about Walker.”
Marcus nodded.
“Quietly?”
“Very quietly.”
After Marcus left, Roman stared at the photograph again.
He should have dismissed Finn immediately.
Instead, he found himself thinking about Norah's expression when she learned her debt had been paid. The hurt in her eyes had not been theatrical. She hadn't asked for money or special treatment. She had wanted the truth.
Roman had denied her that simple thing.
For the first time in years, he wondered how many people in his household were living with secrets he had never bothered to notice.
Across the estate, Norah was cleaning the library when Finn appeared in the doorway.
He wore his usual gray T-shirt and work boots, but his expression was unusually serious.
“Can we talk?”
Norah glanced toward the corridor.
“I'm not supposed to.”
“Because Roman told you not to?”
She lowered her voice.
“Please don't make this harder.”
Finn stepped inside.
“Your father helped my family once.”
Norah froze.
“What?”
“Before he got into trouble, he worked with my uncle. He was a good man who made some terrible decisions.”
“You knew my father?”
“I met him twice.”
“Then why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I didn't know you were his daughter until I saw the name on the household staff list.”
Norah stared at him.
“Why are you here, Finn?”
He looked toward the library doors.
“I'm trying to find out what happened to him.”
Her heart began beating faster.
“The police said it was an accident.”
“I don't believe that.”
“Neither do I.”
The admission escaped before she could stop it.
Finn's expression softened.
“What do you remember about that night?”
Norah looked down at the cloth in her hands.
“My father called me. He sounded frightened. He said he had made a mistake and that someone was going to make sure he paid for it.”
“What time?”
“Eleven forty-seven.”
“And then?”
“Nothing. The police arrived at our apartment the next morning.”
Finn exhaled slowly.
“My uncle disappeared two days later. Before he left, he told me that your father had found something dangerous in the Costa organization's financial records.”
Norah felt cold.
“What kind of records?”
“I don't know yet.”
“Then you shouldn't be investigating this.”
Finn gave her a sad smile.
“You sound exactly like my mother.”
“Your mother sounds sensible.”
“She was. It didn't save her.”
A noise sounded in the corridor.
Norah immediately stepped away from him.
Roman appeared in the doorway.
His gaze moved from Finn to Norah, then to the cleaning cloth in her hand.
“Am I interrupting something?”
Finn straightened.
“Just talking.”
“I see.”
Roman looked at Norah.
“Leave us.”
She hesitated.
“Mr. Costa—”
“Now.”
Norah left, but she did not miss the expression on Finn's face as she passed him.
It was not fear.
It was anger.
Roman closed the library doors.
“You knew her father.”
Finn didn't deny it.
“I knew of him.”
“Why did you come to work here?”
“To repair vehicles.”
“Try again.”
Finn met his eyes.
“I wanted to find out why a man who owed money to your organization died with a police report full of holes.”
Roman stepped closer.
“Careful.”
“I've been careful for two years.”
“And now?”
“Now I'm tired of watching innocent people pay for crimes they didn't commit.”
Roman's expression turned dangerous.
“You're accusing me of murder?”
“I'm accusing you of refusing to look.”
For several seconds, neither man moved.
Then Roman's phone vibrated.
Marcus had sent a message.
We traced the note. It came from an internal account. Someone inside the estate knows the debt was paid—and has been stealing Norah's wages.
A second message appeared beneath it.
The account belongs to your cousin, Victor Costa.
Roman read the name twice.
May you like
Victor was family.
And if Victor had stolen from Norah, he might have been hiding something much worse.
