Chapter 5 - THE MAN LEO CALLED BROTHER
Victoria’s car disappeared through the gates.
Leo turned to Mateo. “What did she mean?”
“I don’t know.”
They had known each other since they were teenagers. Mateo had stood beside Leo at Elena’s funeral and carried Lily when Leo could barely stand. The idea that he had hidden anything about Elena seemed impossible.
That was exactly why Leo asked again.
Mateo looked away. “I knew about the invoices.”
“How much did you know?”
“Elena came to me first. She thought a company account had been used without your approval. I told her I’d check.”
“And?”
“I found payments to a firm tied to Graham Kensington.”
“You never told me.”
“I was getting proof. Then the explosion happened.”
Leo stepped back. “You let me meet Graham. You let Victoria into my house.”
“I should have told you. I thought if Graham knew we suspected him, he’d destroy whatever was left.”
Leo could hear the truth in Mateo’s voice. He could also hear two years of silence.
Dana interrupted before either man could say something he could not take back. “Elena’s records go to the investigators. Both of you tell them everything you know.”
Leo nodded. “Call them.”
At the hospital, Beatrice sat awake beside Lily. Lily had fallen asleep with one hand tucked around Beatrice’s thumb.
A nurse brought Beatrice’s phone. Mateo had found it hidden in a laundry cart. Its screen was cracked, but it worked.
There were three outgoing calls to Leo from that afternoon. None had connected. Then Beatrice noticed a message sent from her phone to Victoria forty minutes before Lily was locked in the cellar:
“I found the missing pages. Meet me downstairs alone.”
Beatrice had not written it.
She showed Dana when Dana arrived. Dana checked the time, then asked, “Did you find any pages?”
“No.”
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A new message appeared on Beatrice’s screen from an unknown number.
“You were supposed to leave the box alone.”
