Chapter 2 - The Man Roman Buried
Roman took Norah upstairs.
Not to the alley.
To his private office.
Gideon remained outside while Roman closed the door.
Norah stayed standing.
“I’m not drinking anything.”
Roman poured water into a glass.
“I didn’t offer.”
“Good.”
He almost smiled.
Almost.
Then he opened a locked cabinet and removed an old photograph.
He placed it on the desk.
Norah looked down.
Samuel.
Younger.
Stronger.
Standing beside a twenty-six-year-old Roman Falco.
Norah picked up the photograph.
“That’s him.”
“I know.”
“You really knew my father?”
Roman sat.
“Twelve years ago, Samuel was my father’s chief strategist.”
Norah stared at him.
“He told me he repaired industrial equipment.”
“That sounds like Samuel.”
“What happened?”
Roman leaned back.
“My father was murdered.”
Norah slowly lowered the photograph.
“Samuel discovered who arranged it.”
“Who?”
“A group inside our own organization.”
“And you?”
“I was next.”
Roman tapped the photograph.
“Samuel got me out of the city.”
Norah looked at him.
“He saved you.”
“Yes.”
“Then why did he disappear?”
“Because saving me made him a traitor to powerful people.”
Roman paused.
“I gave him money, documents, a new identity.”
“Samuel Hayes.”
Roman nodded.
“He promised never to contact me.”
Norah’s eyes hardened.
“So you knew he was alive.”
“I knew he survived.”
“You never checked?”
“He specifically told me not to.”
“That's convenient.”
Roman accepted the accusation.
“He believed anyone watching me could eventually find him.”
Norah sat without realizing it.
“He raised me from when I was twelve.”
Roman’s gaze sharpened.
“You were twelve when he disappeared?”
“Yes.”
“How did he find you?”
“He said I was the daughter of an old friend.”
Roman leaned forward.
“Name?”
“He never told me.”
A knock interrupted them.
Gideon entered carrying a tablet.
“We found something.”
He placed it before Roman.
Security footage showed Norah entering through the employee entrance at 6:42 p.m.
Twenty seconds later, a man appeared outside.
Baseball cap.
Dark jacket.
He watched Norah through the glass.
Her face changed immediately.
Roman saw it.
“That him?”
Norah nodded.
“His name is Caleb Mercer.”
“Boyfriend?”
“Ex-boyfriend.”
Roman watched the footage.
“How long?”
“Six months.”
“Police?”
“I tried.”
“And?”
“He never threatened me directly enough. He just appears.”
“Outside your apartment?”
“Yes.”
“Work?”
“Yes.”
“Calls?”
“Different numbers.”
Roman looked at Gideon.
“Keep watching.”
The footage jumped ahead.
9:14 p.m.
Caleb entered through the service entrance.
Norah stood.
“What?”
Gideon paused the video.
A restaurant supervisor approached Caleb.
They spoke.
Then Caleb handed him something.
An envelope.
Roman’s face hardened.
“Who is the supervisor?”
“Dennis Cole.”
Norah shook her head.
“Dennis told me Lisa called in sick.”
Gideon swiped to another recording.
Lisa, the regular VIP server, was shown leaving the building perfectly healthy.
Forty minutes later, Dennis approached Norah.
Norah whispered, “He put me downstairs deliberately.”
Roman looked at Gideon.
“Where's Dennis?”
“Gone.”
“When?”
“Seven minutes after the Scotch incident.”
Roman stood.
Norah’s voice became smaller.
“Caleb trapped me here.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Roman looked at the screen.
“I intend to ask him.”
Norah shook her head.
“No.”
Roman glanced at her.
“I don't want you killing him.”
“Interesting assumption.”
“You were going to kill me over whiskey twenty minutes ago.”
“Scotch.”
Norah stared at him.
Roman sighed.
“Fair point.”
His phone vibrated.
Gideon answered his own earpiece first.
Then his expression changed.
“Boss.”
“What?”
“Caleb Mercer is outside.”
Norah’s face went white.
Roman turned toward the monitors.
“Where?”
“Employee alley.”
Norah backed away from the desk.
“He knows I’m still here.”
Roman studied her.
Then the office camera feed changed.
Caleb stood beneath the alley light.
Looking directly into the security camera.
He raised his phone.
Roman’s phone rang.
Unknown number.
Norah whispered, “Don't answer.”
Roman did.
“Falco.”
A man laughed.
“You've got something that belongs to me.”
Roman’s pale eyes settled on Norah.
“No.”
His voice became cold.
“I think you have something that belongs to Samuel Vain.”
Silence came from the other end.
Then Caleb said:
“So the old man’s name worked.”
Roman slowly stood.
May you like
And Norah realized Caleb knew about Samuel too.
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