The Recipe of Lies

The kitchen went dead silent.

Domenico stared down the barrel of his brother’s gun, his pale eyes narrowing. "You're losing your mind, Matteo."

"Am I?" Matteo didn't lower the weapon. "The dish she cooked was the exact meal Isabella made for our father the night he died. The scratches on the plate. The watch in the flour. Someone is recreating the night of Massimo's murder."

Matteo looked at me. "When Leo came to your apartment ten years ago, what did he want?"

My mind raced, digging through the terrifying memory. "He wanted a key. He kept screaming that my mother stole a key from the estate before she ran."

"Did she give it to him?"

"No," I said. "She told him it was gone. She said she threw it in the river."

"She lied," Matteo said, his eyes flashing. He looked at the tarnished silver locket still resting against my chest. "Isabella didn't throw it away. She hid it in plain sight."

I looked down at the locket. The train ticket had been folded perfectly inside. But beneath the ticket, embedded into the silver casing itself, was a small, jagged piece of metal I had always thought was just a broken clasp.

I unhooked the locket and handed it to Matteo.

He traced the jagged metal with his thumb. "This isn't a clasp. It's a key. A vintage safety deposit key from the old First National Bank on Monroe Street."

Domenico’s face hardened into a mask of pure fury. "Give me that key, Matteo."

"Why?" Matteo asked softly. "Because you know what's inside?"

Answer One, Open Two. Leo Moretti hadn't been acting alone ten years ago. Domenico had sent him to get the key from my mother. When Leo failed, Domenico had him killed in that "car crash."

"If you walk out of this restaurant, Matteo, you are declaring war against your own blood," Domenico warned, his voice a low, venomous hiss.

"My blood died twenty-six years ago," Matteo said. He looked at Luca. "Secure the back door. Elena and I are leaving."

Luca nodded, drawing his own weapon to back up Matteo.

Domenico didn't flinch. He just smiled that terrible, cold smile. "You won't make it to the bank."

Matteo grabbed my hand, his grip warm and fiercely protective. We bolted out the back alley door, leaving the chaos of Bellavita behind.

The night air was freezing. We piled into the back of a black SUV idling in the alley. Luca jumped into the driver's seat and slammed on the gas.

"First National on Monroe," Matteo ordered.

As we sped through the neon-lit streets of Chicago, I looked at Matteo. "If Leo didn't kill your father, and my mother didn't kill your father... then who did?"

Matteo stared out the window, his jaw clenched. "My father was going to disinherit Domenico. He found out Domenico had been stealing from the family accounts. The night he died, my father had the updated will locked in a safety deposit box. He gave the key to the only person in the house he trusted."

"My mother," I realized.

"Yes," Matteo said. "Isabella wasn't running from me. She was running from Domenico. He killed our father, and Isabella saw him do it."

We pulled up to the massive stone pillars of the First National Bank. The building was supposed to be closed, but Matteo De Luca didn't operate on normal business hours. The night manager was waiting for us at the side entrance, trembling as he unlocked the heavy glass doors.

We descended into the underground vault. The air was cool and smelled of old paper and steel.

Matteo found Box 814. He inserted the jagged clasp from my mother's locket.

It turned with a heavy click.

Matteo pulled the long metal box out and set it on the viewing table. He opened the lid.

Inside was a thick manila envelope.

Matteo opened it and pulled out the updated will of Massimo De Luca. But there was something else inside. A smaller envelope, sealed with red wax.

Matteo broke the seal. He pulled out a single sheet of paper.

He read it, and the breath completely left his body. He dropped the paper onto the table, his hands shaking violently.

I looked down at the document. It was a birth certificate.

Mother: Isabella Rossi. Father: Matteo De Luca.