Chapter 6 - THE EMPTY SAFE
Luciano rushed upstairs.
Ellie was safe with Marianne, but the small safe in Isabella's old dressing room stood open.
Inside had been the original trust certificate, several property deeds, and a sealed envelope containing a list of protected family assets.
The trust certificate was missing.
Luciano ordered the estate secured and contacted Richard.
“Can anyone change ownership without that document?”
“No,” Richard replied. “The trust remains legally effective, and certified records exist. But the original could be used to mislead someone or support a fraudulent transaction.”
Security reviewed the cameras.
At 9:42 p.m., a person wearing an estate maintenance uniform entered the dressing room. Their face was obscured by a cap, but the footage showed them leaving through a side entrance carrying a slim document case.
Marianne watched the recording twice.
“That isn't one of our workers.”
Luciano enlarged the image.
The person wore a distinctive silver watch.
He recognized it immediately.
Adrian Cross wore the same model.
Luciano called him.
Adrian answered cheerfully.
“Luciano. I heard the wedding was postponed. Terrible timing.”
“You were in my house last night.”
A pause.
“Excuse me?”
“You stole a trust document.”
Adrian laughed.
“You should be careful about making accusations.”
“I have security footage.”
“Then give it to the police.”
The call ended.
Luciano turned to Richard.
“Report the theft. Preserve the footage. I want every document recovered through legal channels.”
But Adrian moved first.
The following morning, a notice arrived from a financial institution requesting clarification about a proposed loan secured by assets associated with the estate.
The application included a copy of the missing trust certificate.
Someone was attempting to use the stolen document to support a transaction.
Richard immediately contacted the institution's legal department and informed them that the document might have been obtained without authorization.
The application was suspended pending verification.
Luciano felt sick.
Adrian wasn't merely trying to become an administrator.
He was trying to create the appearance that he already had authority to act.
Then Ellie appeared in the doorway, holding a folded piece of paper.
“Daddy?”
He knelt beside her.
“What is it, sweetheart?”
“I found this in the box Aunt Marianne brought downstairs.”
The paper was a drawing Ellie had made of her family.
But on the back, someone had written a short message in unfamiliar handwriting.
Tell your father to stop looking, or you'll be sent away for real.
Luciano's face went cold.
Marianne pulled Ellie close.
“Who gave you this?”
Ellie shook her head.
“I don't know. It was inside my teddy bear's box.”
Luciano held the note carefully.
May you like
Someone had threatened his six-year-old daughter.
And whoever had done it knew exactly where to find her.
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