Chapter 10 - THE DRIVER WHO NEVER LEFT NEW YORK|
Dante wanted to move immediately.
Sofia insisted that they notify the authorities before anyone approached Jonah Bell.
“If he was involved in your father’s disappearance, he may be dangerous,” she said. “If he was a witness, he may be frightened. Either way, we shouldn’t arrive with armed men and expect him to tell us the truth.”
Dante looked displeased.
Then he nodded.
They contacted Rachel and an investigator assigned to the financial misconduct inquiry. The investigator agreed to arrange a discreet meeting, provided Dante did not attempt to intimidate the witness or interfere with the investigation.
Dante agreed to both conditions.
The next afternoon, they drove to a modest neighborhood near the Brooklyn waterfront. Sofia sat in the back seat beside Eleanor, who had insisted on coming after recognizing the address.
The building was old but well maintained. A narrow staircase led to an apartment above a hardware store.
Jonah Bell opened the door after the third knock.
He was in his late sixties, with silver hair, a stiff left leg, and eyes that moved quickly between the people in the hallway.
When he saw Eleanor, he nearly closed the door.
“Mrs. Ferrara.”
Eleanor stepped forward.
“You told me he was dead.”
Jonah’s face crumpled.
“I’m sorry.”
“You told me my husband was dead.”
“I was told he wouldn’t survive.”
Dante moved closer.
“Who told you that?”
Jonah looked at him for a long moment.
“Your uncle.”
“Where was my father?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did you see him die?”
Jonah lowered his eyes.
“No.”
The answer landed like a blow.
Jonah admitted that he had driven Marco to a warehouse near the East River on the night of the accident. Salvatore had been waiting there with two men connected to Richard Sterling’s company. Marco was carrying documents that could expose the financial scheme.
The men argued. One struck Marco, and Jonah heard a gunshot from the other side of the building.
When Jonah went to look, Marco was gone.
Salvatore told him that Marco had been killed and ordered him to keep quiet. He threatened Jonah’s wife and daughter, claiming they would suffer if he spoke.
Jonah fled New York under a different name. He had lived in hiding ever since.
“Why didn’t you contact the police?” Sofia asked.
Jonah gave a bitter laugh.
“Because Salvatore had friends in the department. Because I was a driver with no money and no proof. Because I was afraid.”
Dante stood motionless.
“My mother spent fifteen years believing my father was dead.”
“I know.”
“And you let her.”
Jonah looked at Eleanor.
“I have regretted it every day.”
Eleanor’s anger slowly gave way to grief.
“Did you see his body?”
“No.”
“Did you see him fall into the river?”
“No.”
“Then why did you tell me he was dead?”
Jonah began to cry.
“Because I was a coward.”
No one spoke.
Sofia understood that an apology could be sincere and still fail to repair what it had destroyed.
Jonah agreed to provide a formal statement. He also revealed that Marco had carried a second ledger that night, one containing original signatures and recordings from the people involved in the scheme.
Salvatore had searched for it for years.
“Where is it now?” Dante asked.
Jonah shook his head.
“I never saw it again. But Marco said there was one person he trusted to keep it safe.”
“Who?”
Jonah looked toward the window.
“Your father’s younger sister. Lucia.”
Dante frowned.
“My aunt died when I was a child.”
“That’s what you were told.”
The room went still.
Jonah reached into a drawer and removed an old photograph. It showed Marco beside a young woman with dark hair. On the back was a handwritten note.
If anything happens, find Lucia in Boston. She knows what the family has forgotten.
Dante stared at the photograph.
His family had not merely hidden the truth about his father.
They might have hidden the truth about his aunt as well.
As they left the apartment, Sofia noticed Dante’s hands shaking.
She walked beside him without touching him.
“You don’t have to figure out everything today,” she said.
He looked at her.
“I’ve spent my entire life believing I knew who my family was.”
“Now you know there are things you were never told.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“No,” Sofia agreed. “But it’s a place to start.”
May you like
For the first time, Dante did not answer with an order or a plan.
He simply walked beside her, carrying the photograph that had turned his entire past into a question.
