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EPILOGUE

O ne of the security team calls me, late one night. “There’s an intruder in the old house.”

I so want that place pulled down. And the last thing I want tin the world is to go there.

But he tells me there’s something I might want to see and he sends me a short video. Her.

Jago has returned to the scene of the crime.

With my brow low and my mood lower, I drive to the house, hating every mile, having no idea what to expect.

My footsteps echo on the cold tiles.

I find her in the library. Thin and pale in the darkness, she looks like a ghost already. She heard me step into the house, and into the room but she doesn’t move or look around.

I ask her, “Did you think you’d find something more? Had you left another notebook behind?”

She doesn’t speak. I say, “I should have realized it was you right away. All the damage was done to the businesses that were in the Fortuna family before I took over. The Crespi enterprises, all of the Benedetti businesses, none of that was touched. But that was all the information you had to sell, wasn’t it?”

Now she turns to look at me. I say, “Are you happy now? Did you get any of what you wanted? You know that I can have you sent to jail. Forever. For. Ev. Ver.”

She remains still and silent. “Who’s Pino?”

Her face melts. With a sharp breath in, she tells me, “He’s my boy. He needs help. More help than I can give him.”

“Did you send all the money to him?”

“To the people who are caring for him. Yes.”

I want to ask if he’s the Don’s son. But I don’t. Maybe Alessio would have a right to know.

I say, “You didn’t even get all the money. Right?”

“No.”

“How much did you get?”

“Four hundred.”

“I could put you in the lake.”

“I know.”

“Is that why you came here?”

“I don’t know. I did want a confrontation. With you.”

“Are you armed?”

“No.”

“So you won’t win.”

“No.”

“Tell me where to send the rest of the money.”