Chapter 6 - The Last Secret Claire Left Behind
Dominic’s SUV reached the estate twelve minutes later.
The front gates were open.
One security vehicle sat sideways near the entrance.
Victor jumped out.
“Stay behind me.”
Dominic ignored him.
Inside, the house was silent.
Then Eleanor appeared from the library holding her cane like a baseball bat.
Dominic nearly stopped breathing.
“Where’s Lily?”
“Upstairs.”
“She okay?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
“A man came pretending to be from the fire department.”
Victor frowned.
“How did he get through security?”
“He didn’t. Lily recognized him before I opened the inner door.”
Dominic stared.
“Recognized who?”
Lily appeared at the top of the stairs.
“Mr. Harris.”
Dominic looked at Victor.
“The salvage-yard owner?”
Lily nodded.
“He buys my metal.”
Victor swore under his breath.
Dominic crouched as Lily ran down.
“What did he want?”
“He asked Grandma for my necklace.”
The silver star.
Eleanor handed it to Dominic.
“He said it belonged to someone else.”
Victor took out his phone.
“I’m getting his address.”
Dominic examined the necklace.
Something bothered him.
Claire had chosen it personally.
Claire never bought jewelry without a reason.
He pressed the star between his fingers.
A tiny seam opened.
Victor stared.
“What is that?”
Inside the pendant was a micro-storage chip.
Dominic whispered, “Claire.”
Hours later, an investigator connected the chip to an isolated computer.
Folders appeared.
Bank transfers.
Audio recordings.
Shipping manifests.
Photographs.
Names.
Dozens of names.
And one video.
Claire Moretti appeared on screen.
Dominic sat frozen.
She looked tired.
Alive.
“This recording is for Dominic,” Claire said.
Nobody in the room moved.
“If you’re watching this, then either I finally convinced you to take me seriously…”
She gave the camera a faint smile.
“…or I didn’t get the chance.”
Dominic lowered his eyes.
Claire continued.
“Marcus Bell is moving money through the port. But he isn’t working alone. Harris Salvage is converting stolen cargo into untraceable cash.”
Victor whispered, “Mr. Harris.”
Claire held up the silver star necklace.
“I put copies of everything here because Anna never takes this off.”
Dominic’s voice broke.
“She used Anna as the backup.”
“No,” Victor said quietly. “She trusted you’d always protect Anna.”
Dominic looked at him.
The investigator paused the recording.
“We can take it from here.”
Dominic shook his head.
“Harris knows about the necklace.”
“He’ll run.”
“He won’t get far.”
This time Dominic did not go alone.
No revenge.
No warehouse confrontation.
No private punishment.
Police reached Harris Salvage before sunrise.
Mr. Harris was arrested trying to destroy records in the yard office.
The man who had paid Lily eight dollars for pounds of metal had spent years laundering millions for Marcus Bell.
By noon, investigators had enough evidence to reopen Claire’s death, Dominic’s bridge crash and the Warehouse 19 kidnapping as connected cases.
Lily sat at the kitchen table eating pancakes while adults filled the house.
She looked at Dominic.
“Is it over?”
He sat beside her.
“The dangerous part is.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m learning not to promise things I can’t control.”
Lily poured too much syrup onto her pancakes.
“That sounds very grown-up.”
“I hated saying it.”
She smiled.
Then her expression became serious.
“Did my mom save us?”
Dominic looked toward Claire’s necklace.
“Yes.”
“Even after she was gone?”
“Yes.”
Lily thought about that.
“Grandma did too.”
Dominic looked toward Eleanor, who was arguing with Victor because he had tried carrying her tea.
“She did.”
“And I saved you.”
Dominic turned back.
“You definitely did.”
“So everybody saved everybody.”
He smiled.
“That sounds about right.”
Lily cut a pancake.
“Good.”
Dominic watched her for a moment.
“There’s something we need to talk about.”
She immediately looked suspicious.
“School?”
“No.”
“Vegetables?”
“No.”
“Then okay.”
Dominic laughed.
“The court has to fix your records. Your real age. Your name.”
Lily stopped eating.
“Oh.”
“You’re nine.”
“I’m nine?”
“Yes.”
She looked offended.
“I missed three birthdays?”
Dominic blinked.
“That is your concern?”
“That’s three cakes.”
Eleanor called from across the room.
“She has a point.”
Dominic rubbed his forehead.
“We’ll address the cake crisis.”
Lily smiled, but only briefly.
“And my name?”
Dominic leaned closer.
“You were born Anna Marie Moretti.”
She stared at her plate.
“But Grandma named me Lily.”
“Yes.”
“Can I keep it?”
Dominic answered immediately.
“Yes.”
She looked up.
“How?”
He had already spoken to the attorney.
“If you want, your legal name can be Anna Lily Moretti.”
Her eyes widened.
“Both?”
“Both.”
“And Grandma?”
Dominic looked at Eleanor.
“She stays.”
Eleanor’s face changed.
Dominic continued.
“For as long as she wants.”
Lily smiled.
“Then I want both.”
Dominic held out his hand.
She put hers in it.
“Anna Lily Moretti,” he said.
She tested the name quietly.
Then smiled.
May you like
“I like it.”
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