"Daddy…" she cried. She Was Waiting for Proof

Marta Voss was findable.

It took Domenico's investigator four days.

She was living in Stuttgart under her married name, working as a care coordinator for a private clinic.

She had not hidden.

She had simply moved on, the way people do when they believe a thing is finished.

It was not finished.

Domenico flew to Stuttgart with Petra.

They did not bring police — not yet.

They brought a recorder, a set of documents, and the name of a German attorney who had agreed to be present.

Vittorio stayed home with Lucy.

He had told her, simply, that some things from a long time ago needed to be sorted out.

Lucy had looked at him with her mother's eyes and said, "Is it about Mama?"

He had said yes.

She had nodded slowly, the way she did when she was deciding whether to ask more.

Then she had said, "Emma told me Mama was very brave."

"She was," Vittorio said.

"Are you being brave now?"

He had not been able to answer that immediately.

"I'm trying," he said.

Lucy had accepted this and gone back to her drawing.

The call from Domenico came on the fourth evening.

Vittorio took it in the study.

"She talked," Domenico said.

"Not everything.

But enough."

"What did she confirm?"

"That she was placed by an agency.

That the referral came through a third party she knew only as a legal representative of a private family trust.

That she was instructed to adjust the timing of two specific medications — not the dosages, the timing — during the final six weeks of care."

"Did she know why?"

"She said she was told it was to manage pain more effectively.

She said she believed it at the time." A pause.

"I'm not certain she fully believed it.

But she followed the instructions."

"And the signature?

Was she present for any attempt to obtain Elena's signature on a document?"

"She was asked to be present once.

She said Elena became distressed and the attempt was abandoned.

She said she didn't know what the document was."

"Does she know now?"

"She does now," Domenico said.

"I explained it to her.

In some detail."

A long pause on the line.

"She cried," Domenico said.

"For what that's worth."

"What happens next?"

"The German attorney is advising her to cooperate fully with any formal investigation in exchange for consideration.

She's willing.

She's also willing to identify the legal representative who placed her — the man who contacted her on behalf of the trust."

Vittorio waited.

"His name is Daniel Soren," Domenico said.

"Hale and Soren Consulting."

The circle closed.

"Marcus knew," Vittorio said.

"Marcus knew about Soren.

Whether he knew the full extent of what Soren arranged eleven years ago — that I cannot say yet.

But he knew enough.

And he chose to stay in the arrangement until it became personally inconvenient."

"He came to me," Vittorio said.

"He warned me about Bianca."

"He warned you about Bianca when it was clear the operation had failed and he needed to position himself on the right side." Domenico's voice was dry but not unkind.

"That is not the same as loyalty."

"No," Vittorio said.

"It isn't."

"I'm filing the formal complaint in the morning," Domenico said.

"Italian jurisdiction for the estate matters, German cooperation for Voss.

Soren will be named.

Bianca will be named.

The trust disbursement to Giulia Mancini will be included as evidence of premeditation." He paused.

"Stefano's situation is more complicated.

He knew and withheld.

That has consequences.

But he also stopped the nurse, and he cooperated fully with us.

I'll argue for that to be weighed."

"Do what's right," Vittorio said.

"Not what's easy."

"Those are occasionally the same thing," Domenico said.

"Not always."

After the call, Vittorio sat at his desk for a long time without moving.

He looked at the photograph of Lucy at the beach.

She was four in the picture, laughing at something outside the frame, her hair blown sideways by the wind.

Elena had taken that photograph.

He picked it up.

Set it back down.

Stood.

He walked upstairs and knocked on Lucy's door.

"Come in," she said.

She was in bed, not yet asleep, a book open on her lap.

She looked up at him.

"Is it sorted out?" she asked.

"Almost," he said.

He sat on the edge of the bed.

"It will take a little more time.

But yes.

Almost."

Lucy looked at him carefully.

"Did the people who did the bad thing get caught?"

"They will be," he said.

She seemed to consider whether this was satisfactory.

"Emma says that sometimes things take longer than they should but they still come right in the end."

"Emma is usually correct," Vittorio said.

Lucy turned a page in her book without reading it.

"Daddy."

"Yes."

"I'm glad Bianca is gone."

"I know."

"I didn't want to make you sad by saying so."

He looked at her — really looked at her, the way he hadn't let himself do in months because it had been easier to be busy, to be in Milan, to be anywhere that didn't require him to see how small she was and how much she needed him to be present.

"You will never make me sad by telling me the truth," he said.

"Do you understand that?

Never."

Lucy nodded.

She turned another unread page.

"Will you stay until I fall asleep?"