Chapter 4 – THE TRAIN TICKET
“I found it in the lining of his winter coat,” Ben said, his voice small but brave. “Grandma let me use the coat for a scarecrow last Halloween. The ticket fell out. I kept it because it looked like a treasure.”
I stared at the ticket in Luca’s hand. “Ben, honey, why didn’t you show that to me?”
“Because it had blood on it,” Ben whispered, looking at his shoes. “I thought it would scare you.”
The dining room erupted into shocked murmurs again.
Luca’s hand was visibly shaking. He held the ticket by the edges, staring at the dried, brown stain on the corner.
“Linda,” Luca said, his voice hollow. “Do you know what date is on this ticket?”
I shook my head. “No, sir.”
“October 14th,” Luca said. “Eight years ago. A train ticket to Seattle.”
Vanessa let out a sharp gasp. She grabbed the edge of the banquet table, her knuckles turning white.
“Give me that,” Vanessa demanded, reaching for the ticket.
Luca snatched it away, stepping between her and the table. “Don’t touch it.”
I looked at Emily. She looked as confused as I was.
“What does the date mean, Luca?” David asked carefully.
Luca didn’t look at David. He kept his eyes locked on Vanessa. “October 14th, eight years ago, was the night my older brother, Antonio, was killed in a hit-and-run accident near the train station.”
My hand flew to my mouth. I had heard the stories. Antonio Moretti was supposed to be the head of the family. His death had forced Luca into a life he never wanted.
“The police never found the driver,” Luca continued, his voice tight with barely controlled rage. “They said Antonio was walking alone. But this ticket… this is a passenger ticket for two people. My brother was trying to leave Chicago.”
He turned to me. “Linda, your husband was at the train station that night, wasn’t he?”
I searched my memory, my mind racing. “Robert was a baggage handler. He worked the night shift at Union Station.”
Luca looked down at the ledger, then at the train ticket, and finally at the silver pocket watch.
The pieces were snapping together in his mind. I could see the realization hitting him like a physical blow.
“Robert didn’t get into debt because he gambled,” Luca whispered. “He got into debt because he saw who hit my brother. He was being paid to keep quiet. And when he tried to stop taking the money, the Bellinis turned it into a debt to trap him.”
“That is an insane accusation!” Vanessa yelled. “You have no proof! A dirty train ticket proves nothing!”
Suddenly, the heavy double doors of the dining room swung open with a violent crash.
Three large men in dark suits walked in. In the center was Don Carmine Bellini, Vanessa’s father. He was a ruthless, aging man with a silver cane and a cold, dead stare.
He didn’t look at Luca. He looked directly at David.
“I heard there was a problem with one of my former employees,” Don Bellini said, his voice raspy. He tapped his cane on the hardwood floor. “David, you are under investigation for embezzlement. And since you were just granted an adoption today, I felt it was my civic duty to make a phone call.”
He pulled a folded document from his breast pocket.
“I contacted the family court judge,” Don Bellini smiled cruelly. “A man facing felony charges is unfit to care for a child. The adoption is being suspended. Child Protective Services will be here in twenty minutes to take the boy.”
