Chapter 2 - the promise inside the bell
Mara did not go directly to Mrs. Bell’s apartment.
She stepped out of the elevator on the fourth floor of the foundation building and entered an empty conference room. From there, she called the private number.
Vincent did not answer.
A recorded voice invited her to leave a message.
“Mr. Moretti, this is Mara Reyes from the foundation. I found irregular transfers connected to St. Agnes. I believe someone inside the organization is using your accounts to influence city officials.”
She paused, listening to the silence.
“My daughter may be in danger. My mother was Elena Reyes. She told me to mention the winter table.”
Mara ended the call.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then her phone lost its signal.
The conference-room door opened.
A security officer stood in the hallway.
“Ms. Reyes, Mr. Cross asked me to escort you out.”
“I know the way.”
“Building policy.”
Mara followed him to the service elevator. The officer did not threaten her, but he kept one hand near the radio at his belt.
When they reached the garage, Mara saw her car waiting in its usual space. The overhead light above it had been broken.
She stopped.
“Something wrong?” the officer asked.
“I forgot my keys upstairs.”
“They’re in your hand.”
Mara looked down.
The officer smiled faintly.
At the far end of the garage, a dark sedan started its engine.
Mara turned and walked toward the pedestrian exit.
The security officer caught her arm.
“You need to use your vehicle, Ms. Reyes.”
Mara twisted free and ran.
The officer shouted into his radio.
She reached the stairwell before he caught up, slammed the metal door behind her, and pushed the emergency bar into place with an abandoned cleaning cart.
Footsteps struck the other side.
Mara raced up one level, crossed through the lobby of an insurance company, and left through its front entrance.
She took a taxi to Mrs. Bell’s building, checking the rear window every few seconds.
Sophie was waiting at the kitchen table with colored pencils scattered around her homework.
“Mama!”
She ran into Mara’s arms.
Mara held her more tightly than usual.
Mrs. Bell noticed.
“Is everything all right?”
“I made a mistake at work.”
“What kind of mistake?”
“The kind that makes important people nervous.”
Mrs. Bell’s face became serious.
Mara knelt in front of Sophie.
“We’re going home to collect some things, and then we’re taking a little trip.”
“Where?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
“Can I bring Luna?”
Luna was a stuffed rabbit with one missing button eye.
“Yes. Bring Luna.”
As Sophie went to retrieve the toy, Mara turned to Mrs. Bell.
“Did anyone come here today?”
“A man from your office called around six. He said there was a family emergency.”
“What name did he give?”
“He didn’t. I told him I wouldn’t release Sophie to anyone but you.”
Mara took Mrs. Bell’s hands.
“Thank you.”
“You’re frightening me.”
“I’m frightened too.”
Back in their apartment, Mara locked every door and pulled the curtains closed.
She placed the encrypted drive, a small recorder, emergency cash, and copies of the suspicious transfers on the dining table.
Sophie sat nearby holding Luna.
“Is this about your job?”
“Yes.”
“Did you do something bad?”
“No, sweetheart. I found something bad.”
Mara opened the silver bell and inserted the drive into its hollow center.
She fastened the chain around Sophie’s neck.
“This belonged to Grandma Elena.”
“It doesn’t ring.”
“It isn’t meant to.”
“Why do I have to wear it?”
Mara looked toward the dark window.
“Because you may need to carry something important for me.”
Sophie’s eyes widened.
“Are we playing a secret game?”
Mara forced a smile.
“We’re practicing an emergency plan.”
She explained that if anyone entered the apartment, Sophie should hide inside the old service cupboard behind the pantry. It opened into a maintenance passage that led to the laundry room downstairs.
“Once you’re outside, go to Bellavista,” Mara said. “It’s the restaurant with the golden lion over the door.”
“I know it. We passed it on my birthday.”
“Find Vincent Moretti.”
“What does he look like?”
“He wears dark suits. People listen when he speaks.”
“That sounds like every man in the restaurant.”
Despite her fear, Mara almost laughed.
“Show the bell to a waiter and say you need Vincent.”
“What if they don’t believe me?”
“Tell him your grandmother was Elena Reyes. Tell him she remembers the winter table.”
Sophie touched the bell.
“Will he help us?”
Mara remembered her mother’s final weeks, when Elena had been too ill to leave her bed yet still spoke of Vincent with fierce certainty.
He may become a hard man, she had said. But he will never forget a debt.
“Yes,” Mara told her daughter. “He will help.”
A heavy knock sounded at the front door.
Mara stood.
Another knock came, louder.
“Ms. Reyes,” a man called. “Police. We need to speak with you about a report from your office.”
Mara looked through the peephole.
The man outside wore a police jacket, but no patrol vehicle was visible through the hall window.
A second man stood behind him.
A black spider was tattooed on his neck.
May you like
Mara turned to Sophie.
“Emergency plan. Now.”
