My father glances at me with an expressionless look. “I don’t know, but I’m guessing that we’re all about to find out the truth.”
We move to the conference table that I have in the corner. It fits twelve and we’re going to need it.
I don’t have time to ask any further questions as my office door opens and in walks, Ciro, Giovanni, Daithi, and Caden. Before I can greet any of them Daithi narrows his eyes on me. Both he and Caden have dark expressions on their faces, nothing that has my brothers or father on high alert because it isn’t that obvious, but I've sat across tables from these men enough times to know their tells.
“I assume Marco has been the one doing the digging into Orla’s situation?” Daithi asks and I nod. “Then he should stay. Give the man the actual truth rather than the bullshit you’ve all been listening too.”
I guess we’re starting off with open hostility.
“Watch it, son,” my father says thickly. “I know you’re upset, but remember who you’re speaking with.”
The door opens and in walks Conn Delaney. It’s been years since I’ve seen him. He was at the wedding yesterday but he kept to himself and stayed in the background. He’s got a leather diary in his hands, several colored tabs sticking out from the pages and he walks toward the table and places it on the table in front of him as he takes a seat beside Daithi.
"I found it," he says.
"Found what?" I ask, glancing between the three brothers, all of whom are wearing the same angry expression. I turn to my father and see that he’s as confused as I am.
Conn looks at me. "Orla Geraghty's diary," he tells us.
"Where?" Daithí asks. His voice is very cold, like he’s barely containing his anger.
"Her room," Conn says. "Her mom let me take anything of hers that I wanted. I'd practically lived in that house growing up. They knew how much she meant to me. It was under the floorboard. She always used to hide things there." He looks at the diary. "I knew that was what I wanted. I’m not sure if her parents knew about it." He stops. "I've read every single page of it. It took me two years to gather the courage to do so."
"You read something that changed your mind about Quinn, didn’t you?” Caden questions.
"Orla never told me how bad it was," Conn says quietly. "I was away most of the time at college." His jaw tightens. "When she died, everyone said Quinn was responsible."
He looks at me. "So I believed it." He takes a deep breath and nods at the book. “Everything is in there,” he says thickly. “I tabbed the pages you need to read,” he says. “I know Quinn tried to protect me by not telling you, Lorenzo, the full truth, she knew I was broken by Orla’s death and she tried to protect me from finding out everything I knew was a lie.”
Daithi reaches for the diary and I brace for whatever I’m about to listen to, because I know it’s going to be bad.
14th September
Daire smiled at me today in the corridor. A real smile, not the polite one she uses when teachers are watching. I don't know why she chose me. There are so many prettier girls, smarter girls, girls whose fathers aren't just the help. But she smiled at me and asked if I wanted to walk to class together and I said yes.
I think this might be the start of something good.
I hope so. I really hope so.
She sounds like a normal teenage girl, one that wants to be liked and have friends, she sounds normal. How did everything all go wrong?
Daithi flips to the next tabbed page and starts to read.
3rd November
Daire was cold to me again today. I don't understand what I did wrong. Yesterday she was so warm, she put her arm around me in the cafeteria and everyone looked at us, and I felt like I finally belonged somewhere. Today she looked straight through me like I wasn't there.
I asked her if everything was okay. She said everything was fine. But it wasn't fine. I can always tell.
I just don't know what I did.
Christ, I remember when my sisters were in school. Sofia had the hardest time making friends because she’s so quiet and reserved.
17th November
Emma won't talk to me anymore. The last thing she said to me was that Daire told her something about me, but she wouldn't say what. I asked Daire about it and she looked so confused. She said she'd never said anything bad about me, that she'd actually been defending me. Daire said that people were saying things and she'd been trying to stop them.
I don't know who to believe.
