Chapter 8 - The Key to the Old Safe
Hannah reached for the lamp.
Walter closed the door behind him.
"You should knock," she whispered.
"You should stop standing on balconies when people downstairs want you gone."
"I heard them."
"Good. Then we are out of time."
He held out the key.
"Basement wine cellar. Back wall. Third stone from the floor behind the old Barolo rack."
Hannah stared at him.
"What is it?"
"A safe Rebecca used."
"Why do you have the key?"
"Because after she died, I removed what I thought would get Nicholas killed if he saw it."
Hannah's anger rose.
"You mean evidence."
"I mean photographs, account numbers, and names belonging to men who would have started shooting before breakfast."
"And you decided for everyone."
"Yes. I was wrong. We can discuss my sins after Nicholas survives his fiancée."
The safe contained a flash drive, two notebooks, and a sealed envelope addressed to NICK.
Hannah did not open the envelope.
She opened the notebook.
Rebecca had written dates, license plates, meetings, and short comments in the margins.
CLAIRE + DOMINIC - PARK HYATT, 11:40 PM.
MERRITT CALLED AFTER.
WALTER SAYS STOP DIGGING.
Under May 10, four days before Nicholas's crash, Rebecca had written:
D says car first. C says too risky. "Then make it look like him."
Hannah's skin prickled.
The flash drive held photographs of Claire kissing Dominic in a parking garage, financial transfers from a shell company, and a scanned invoice from an auto shop.
Brake pressure inspection - failed.
Vehicle: 2024 black sedan registered to Nicholas Valenti Holdings.
Date: May 13.
One day before the crash.
At the bottom was a handwritten note from the mechanic.
CUSTOMER ADVISED VEHICLE UNSAFE TO DRIVE.
Nicholas had told Hannah he never received that warning.
They heard footsteps in the corridor outside the wine cellar.
Walter shut the laptop.
"Hide the drive."
Hannah slipped it into the lining of her shoe.
The door opened.
Dominic stood there.
"Late night?" he asked.
Walter did not blink.
"Couldn't sleep."
Dominic looked at Hannah.
"And the nurse?"
"She has terrible taste in wine."
"I don't drink," Hannah said.
Dominic smiled.
"Even better."
His gaze moved to the open safe.
The smile disappeared.
"What did you take?"
Hannah's pulse jumped.
Walter stepped between them.
"Nothing that belongs to you."
Dominic stared at him for a long moment.
Then he laughed softly.
"Uncle Walter, you always were sentimental."
He turned to leave.
At the doorway he looked back at Hannah.
"Be careful on the stairs. This house has had terrible luck with accidents."
After he left, Walter whispered, "Rebecca wrote one sentence on the back of that invoice."
Hannah flipped it over.
May you like
The words had been pressed so hard into the paper the ink had torn through.
NICHOLAS WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO SURVIVE.
