The room went quiet.
“Something you need to say?” Stone’s low voice cut through my misgivings.
“Yes.” I swallowed. “The last time I went back to New York, I stopped by my father’s house. Carlo had it locked up after his death. In his office, I found something that points to an inside job.”
Quentin stepped to my side, his eyes softening. Sitting down, he took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “What was it?”
The understanding and sympathy in his eyes gave me the courage to continue.
“I found a notebook in my father’s desk. I took photos. I’ll show you.” Pulling out my phone, I brought up the photos. I showed him all of them. The notebook about the meeting. The entry about the escalating situation.
“The F could mean my aunt Filomena, or Frankie, one of his captains, or his construction manager, Federico. The other entry means he was dealing with a conflict of some kind that he needed to resolve, but that could be anything.”
“There’s also this.” I swiped to the numbers on the piece of paper. “I found this note in my father’s book.The Count of Monte Cristo. I have no idea what it means.”
“Could be an account number.” Forrest rubbed his chin.
“Then there’s this.” I pulled up the photos of the security system. “See that? The light’s red, but it should be green. That means the system was manually disarmed from inside the house.”
“An inside job.” Quentin nodded.
“And Aunt Filomena ran security for my father. She’d know every system, every protocol.”
Stone met my gaze. “Motive?”
"That's what I don't understand." I shook my head. "She loved my father. They were incredibly close. Why would she kill him?"
"Money?" Forrest suggested. "Power?"
"She's already wealthy. And she's past the age of wanting to run the family." I sighed. "It doesn't fit."
"Maybe it wasn't about money or power." Serenity was quiet for a moment, her brow furrowed. "Maybe it was personal."
"Personal how?"
"I don't know. But people don't kill family without a reason. There's something we're missing."
Quentin returned to the table. "Let's work through the other suspects first. Rule them out systematically. Julia, you mentioned at dinner that you didn't think the Morettis were involved."
"I don't. I have a friend—Chiara Moretti. We've known each other since prep school. If there was a war brewing, she'd know. She'd warn me."
"Unless she's playing you," Stone said.
"She's not." I said it with more confidence than I felt. "We're close. Real friends. She wouldn't lie to me about something this serious."
"Friends lie to friends all the time," Stone countered. "Especially in our world."
He wasn't wrong. But I knew Chiara. At least, I thought I did.
"What about Calle Sombra 13?" Quentin asked. "The Mexican organization?"
"Even less likely." I pulled out my phone, scrolling through notes. "I reviewed their financials while I was in New York. Awar with us would destroy them. They're not strong enough to take on the Russo family."
"So that leaves an insider." Quentin leaned back. "Someone in your family who wanted Big Sal dead, who framed me to start a war between our families, and who's now trying to kill both of us to keep the truth hidden."
"Filomena," Stone said. "It has to be."
"But why?" I pressed my hands to my temples. "Why would she kill her own brother?"
