Perfect Crime (27 page)

“You’ve changed your hair.”

“Put it back the way it was.”

“I remember. Dante showed me a picture—long time ago.” He closed his eyes, but his grip on her hand didn’t weaken even though she tried to pull away. “So, what happened?”

She could say many things. Recount her journey from what she wanted to be, back to the pressure of family. She could explain why Tessa Morgan no longer existed. But instead, she explained everything away with, “Ric shot you.”

Scott shifted his gaze, as though trying to see through and beyond. He tried to sit up, but couldn’t against the pull of the tubes and the tape. “That’s not really what I’m asking about.”

“Oh, no,” a low voice of concern interrupted from near the door.

Turning towards the startling intrusion, Tessa saw a quickly advancing Luca, his traditional priestly garb replaced with dark denims and a button-down shirt. Are you daft, little sister?” he shook his head in sympathy. “When I say, stay away, it doesn’t mean run to his side…I told you I was keeping an eye on him. That should have been enough.”

The revealed kinship should have surprised Scott, but it only served to set another piece into the puzzle. Ric had mentioned something about Dante, Tessa and the priest having their own secret code; it wasn’t to keep secrets from the “family” as he had suggested, but rather from their father.

Every Italian Mama wants a priest in the family.

And that memory placed another piece; that was the reason for the Bible quote on the stained glass window given to the church. Donatello was aware of their childhood game; the gist of the quotation now made sense: “I called my son.”

“No wonder he sent the window to you,” Scott muttered to Luca. “He was telling you he knew the game—and that it was over.”

Luca shrugged a shoulder. “It wasn’t a game. Dante understood that a corporation can do much a syndicate can. And no one has to go to jail.”

Tessa whispered, “No one has to die.”

Her older brother added, “Unfortunately, the people Dante chose to take with him, were not all on the same page.”

“What a fool I’ve been.” Normally he was a good judge of character, reading people, his livelihood. But for one moment, doubt pierced his heart. “You knew all along what Dante was up to.”

“Not all along. Though, I’m surprised he didn’t tell you.” She couldn’t help the jibe, “You were close enough to know about his car, and what info he carried back and forth.”

“Data you gave him,” Scott said, “and here I thought Ric was the one in the know. Should have just changed my sources.”

Her voice shook with continued self-doubt, “Didn’t you?”

Luca took a step forward, offering a glare to meet Scott’s. “Don’t look at her like that. The only thing she’s guilty of is keeping both of you alive.”

“I hope you can understand.”

Could he? Could he really? He’d spent half a year trying to figure out the scandal. One foot in. One foot out. He’d wasted his time, people were dead, and he could never share what he knew. If he did, Tessa might wind up in jail for obstructing justice – or worse.

Tessa stated the obvious, “You can never really leave family. There are just different shades of respectable.”

He couldn’t look at her. His thumb sat on the play button of the recorder, but he didn’t press it. “What’s on here?”

“The ending to your story.”

Palm up, he waited for her to take the recorder from his hand—half hoping that she wouldn’t take it back. When she stayed where she was, he forced himself to ask, “Why are you giving me this?”

“Your prints will be on a certain gun. More than one shot was fired. This might keep you out of jail.”

“And send you instead? You’re not one of them Tessa.”

“Contessa.” Looking down on him with a cold sort of sadness that he’d seen only once before, she uttered, “I’m sorry, Scott. Really, I am. I wish…”

“You’d better go.” He couldn’t look at the woman she had become. He wasn’t sure he could ever look at her again. She wasn’t Contessa—but she wasn’t Tessa, either. His Tessa was gone.

And he had only himself to blame as he said, “Goodbye.”

*

THE END