Chapter 5 - THE WOMAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCHMaya barely slept that night.
Every time she closed her eyes, she remembered the gunshot, the broken glass, and the robber asking which one she was.
She had spent years believing her life was ordinary.
A small apartment. A difficult job. A few unpaid bills. An aunt whose memories had become increasingly complicated before she died.
Now powerful men were threatening her because of something Margaret had apparently hidden.
At eight the next morning, Daniel arrived at the diner.
The broken window had been covered with plywood.
He carried two coffees.
"You're early," Maya said.
"So are you."
"I work here."
He placed one cup on the counter.
"Black. Two sugars."
She looked surprised.
"You remembered?"
"I pay attention."
Maya took the coffee.
"Then pay attention to this. I don't want bodyguards following me everywhere."
Daniel leaned against the counter.
"Someone tried to abduct you yesterday."
"Someone failed."
"That doesn't make it less dangerous."
She looked directly at him.
"I need answers, not a prison."
Daniel considered her words.
"Then I'll tell you what I know."
He explained that Richard Reed had been investigating suspicious payments involving the Moretti shipping companies. His father believed Dominic's organization was being used by someone inside the family to move stolen money.
Before Richard could present the evidence, he was killed in a staged automobile accident.
Daniel had been twenty-two.
His father had left behind an incomplete investigation and a mysterious notebook that disappeared shortly after the funeral.
"Margaret helped him?"
"Yes. She was the only person who knew where he kept the original documents."
Maya looked down.
"Why didn't she tell me?"
"Maybe she was trying to protect you."
"She could have trusted me."
Daniel didn't argue.
Instead, he opened a folder.
Inside was a photograph of a small storage unit.
The address was written on the back.
"Your aunt rented this place under an alias. We found the account yesterday."
Maya studied the handwriting.
It was Margaret's.
"She never mentioned it."
"Would you recognize the key?"
Daniel showed her a photograph.
Maya immediately remembered it.
A small brass key had been kept inside a blue jewelry box in her aunt's bedroom. After Margaret died, Maya had packed the belongings into cardboard boxes and stored them in the basement of her apartment building.
"I think I still have it."
Daniel looked at Thomas.
"Arrange transportation."
Maya shook her head.
"I'm going with you."
The storage unit was located in Queens, inside a facility surrounded by security fencing.
The brass key opened the lock.
Inside were old clothes, several boxes of photographs, and a metal case.
Maya opened the case.
There were bank statements, a cassette recorder, and a sealed envelope addressed to her.
Her hands trembled.
She recognized Margaret's handwriting.
For Maya. If someone has finally come looking, it means I failed to keep the truth buried.
Maya read the letter aloud.
Margaret explained that she had discovered a financial conspiracy involving Richard Reed, Dominic Moretti, and a third person whose identity had never been revealed.
The letter also mentioned a young girl who had been moved between families after a suspicious fire.
Maya stopped reading.
"What's wrong?" Daniel asked.
She pointed to the final paragraph.
The child was not supposed to survive. Her name was Maya.
The room became silent.
Maya looked up.
"What does that mean?"
Daniel carefully took the letter.
Then he noticed a photograph beneath the papers.
It showed a little girl standing beside Richard Reed.
May you like
On the back were two words.
MY DAUGHTER.
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