Chapter 4 - THE WOMAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
Rico did not tell Clara everything he learned that night.
Not because he distrusted her, but because he understood that information could place people in danger.
Instead, he increased the security around the townhouse and asked his attorney to coordinate with investigators reviewing Elena's murder.
Clara noticed the changes immediately.
The front gate was kept locked. Visitors had to be verified. Dante accompanied Leo during outdoor activities.
“What happened?” she asked Rico.
“Something from Elena's past needs to be examined.”
“Does it involve Leo?”
“Yes.”
“Then I deserve to know enough to keep him safe.”
Rico studied her.
She was right.
He explained that Elena had discovered suspicious activity involving confidential business files and that investigators were examining whether the information had anything to do with her murder.
He did not give Clara the details of the investigation, but he told her that no one had been charged and that they were avoiding assumptions.
Clara listened carefully.
“Then Leo needs stability, not more frightened adults whispering in hallways.”
Rico almost smiled.
“You make everything sound simple.”
“Children don't need simple answers. They need honest ones.”
That afternoon, Vanessa Vale arrived at the townhouse.
She was elegant, with perfectly styled brown hair and an expression of polished concern.
“I heard Leo is doing better,” she said. “I wanted to see him.”
Dante checked with Rico before allowing her inside.
Vanessa stepped into the living room and froze when she saw Clara sitting on the rug with Leo.
“Who is she?”
“Clara Vance,” Rico replied. “She's helping with Leo's routine.”
Vanessa's smile tightened.
“A waitress?”
Clara stood.
“A person with a name.”
Rico's eyes sharpened.
“Clara is part of Leo's care team. If you have a concern, discuss it with me respectfully.”
Vanessa lifted her hands.
“Of course. I'm only surprised. Elena would have wanted someone more qualified.”
“Leo has a therapist,” Clara said. “I'm not replacing one.”
Vanessa ignored her.
“Leo, sweetheart, come to Aunt Vanessa.”
Leo immediately moved behind Clara.
Vanessa's expression changed.
“Leo?”
The boy shook his head.
“Don't want.”
She crouched and extended her arms.
“Come here. I brought you a present.”
Leo began to tremble.
Clara knelt beside him.
“You don't have to go to anyone if you don't want to. You can stay here.”
Vanessa straightened slowly.
“What have you been telling him?”
“Nothing about you.”
“Then why is he afraid of me?”
Clara didn't answer.
Rico stepped between them.
“That's enough.”
Vanessa's eyes flashed.
“You're allowing a stranger to interfere with your family.”
“No. I'm allowing my son to decide whom he trusts.”
The words stunned her.
She collected her handbag and left.
Afterward, Leo clung to Clara for nearly twenty minutes.
Rico watched him, remembering the warning in Elena's email.
Make sure Leo is never left alone with the people who know what I found.
Vanessa had been trusted by Elena.
She had been trusted by Rico.
And now Leo was afraid of her.
That evening, Rico arranged a meeting with the detective overseeing the case. He provided the recovered email and described Vanessa's visit, making it clear that his son's reaction was a concern, not proof of wrongdoing.
The detective agreed to examine the circumstances.
Two days later, Clara's mother called.
“I found the letters,” Patricia said.
Clara sat down.
“What letters?”
“Your father wrote to me before he left. He said he had become involved with people who were dangerous. He also mentioned a woman who worked for the Morettis.”
“Vanessa?”
“I don't know her full name. But he wrote that she was collecting information for someone outside the organization.”
Clara felt a chill.
“Do you still have the letters?”
“Yes. I'm sending copies to you.”
When the envelope arrived, Clara took it directly to Rico.
One letter mentioned a hidden account used to move money between several companies. Another referred to a meeting scheduled shortly before Elena's death.
At the bottom of the last page, Patricia's former husband had written:
If Elena discovers the truth, she may become a target. I tried to warn her, but I don't know whether she believes me.
Rico stared at the handwriting.
He recognized the name signed beneath it.
Thomas Vance.
Clara's father.
For years, Rico had believed Thomas had been a minor employee who disappeared after a business dispute.
Now he had evidence that Thomas had known about a scheme connected to Elena.
“Did your father ever contact you?” Rico asked.
“No. He left when I was a child.”
“I'm sorry.”
Clara's expression hardened.
“Don't apologize for him.”
Rico nodded.
Then Dante entered with a message from the detective.
A witness had come forward.
Someone had seen Vanessa meeting a man near the charity event on the night Elena died.
The man was Thomas Vance.
Clara read the message twice.
May you like
Her father, whom she had not seen in twenty years, might have been connected to the last night of Elena's life.
And if he was still alive, he might be the only person who could explain what had happened.
