THE LAST FOUR PHOTOGRAPHS

Mrs. Ellis had worked for Luca’s family for twenty-one years. She had held my arm steady while Dr. Harris examined it. She had brought me tea when I couldn’t stop shaking.

At the warehouse, Luca called her. She answered on the first ring.

“Is Vanessa there?” he asked.

“No, sir. Security’s searching.”

“Did you help her leave?”

A pause. “I think you should come home.”

Brooks heard enough to ask Luca to put the call on speaker.

“I signed a paper,” Mrs. Ellis said. “Vanessa told me it confirmed the guest rooms had been inspected before the wedding. I didn’t read the pages behind it.”

“Did she show you the passage?” Luca asked.

“I showed it to her. Months ago.”

“Why?”

“She said she wanted to surprise you by opening your mother’s old sitting room for the wedding morning.”

Luca shut his eyes. His mother had died three years earlier. Vanessa had known how to make that request sound kind.

“Stay with the officers,” Brooks told Mrs. Ellis. “We’ll speak in person.”

On the drive back, Noah searched the remaining files. Vanessa’s mother’s company had received six payments, but two larger transfers had gone elsewhere.

The account holder was hidden behind a set of numbers. Noah traced one to a business Daniel had started years earlier and closed, according to public records.

“Daniel’s deeper in this than he said,” Noah told Luca.

Luca’s phone rang. Daniel.

“I heard Vanessa ran,” Daniel said.

“Where is she?”

“If I knew, I’d tell you.”

“Come to the house and speak to Detective Brooks.”

“I will. First you need to know something about that property transfer. Vanessa can’t complete it alone.”

“Who can?”

“You already saw the witness form. She needs Claire to sign.”

“I’m with Claire. She won’t.”

Daniel breathed out. “Then she’ll try the other way.”

“What other way?”