Chapter 5 - THE BAKERY AT FOURTH AND ELM
Tessa returned to her apartment three days later. A neighbor had collected her mail, and the kitchen sink still leaked. Nothing about the place had changed, which made the night at the estate feel almost imaginary.
Her brother called from Cleveland.
“Some guy contacted me about the bakery,” Leo said.
Tessa straightened. “What guy?”
“A lawyer. Says the property sale might have been coerced.”
“Don't sign anything.”
“I wasn't planning to. Tessa, what have you gotten yourself into?”
She looked at the bruises blooming along her side.
“Something complicated.”
Leo had opened the bakery with money saved over twelve years. Their mother had taught him to fold pastry dough when he was barely tall enough to reach the counter. He had painted the walls himself and named the place after their grandmother.
Then Costa collectors arrived. First they offered protection. When he refused, windows broke. Suppliers stopped delivering. Someone set fire to his delivery van.
The official sale was voluntary. The reality was not.
Tessa had watched her brother lose his business, his savings, and eventually the confident way he used to laugh.
Now a lawyer was calling him as though the loss could be neatly reversed.
“I don't want Costa money,” Leo said.
“Neither do I.”
“But if they stole the place—”
“Then you deserve it back.”
A knock sounded at Tessa's door. She stiffened, then looked through the peephole.
A woman stood outside holding a badge and a folder.
“Ms. Bell? Detective Nora Ellis. I'd like to ask about the assault at the Costa estate.”
Tessa opened the door a few inches.
“Is this about the man with the gun?”
“Yes. We also need to know what you overheard before the attack.”
Tessa's stomach tightened. “Am I in trouble?”
“No. You're a witness.”
The detective waited until Tessa invited her inside.
For an hour, Tessa described the footsteps, the gun, the shots, and the moment she believed she would die. She also described Camila and Lorenzo's conversation outside the laundry room.
When she finished, Ellis closed her notebook.
“Thank you. That helps.”
“Will they come after me?”
“We're taking that possibility seriously. We can discuss safety planning and victim services.”
Tessa looked at her small apartment.
She had spent years feeling powerless against men who never needed to explain themselves.
For the first time, someone had asked her what happened and written down the answer.
That evening she called Vincent.
He answered immediately.
“Mr. Costa, my brother received a call.”
“I asked Elena to review his case.”
“Without asking us.”
A pause. “You're right. I should have spoken to you first.”
She exhaled. “I don't want charity.”
“Neither do I. I want to return what was taken.”
“Then let Leo decide whether he wants it.”
“I will.”
Tessa almost hung up, then asked, “Are you actually going to change anything?”
Vincent looked across his empty study.
“I don't know how much I can repair.”
May you like
“That's not what I asked.”
“No,” he said quietly. “I'm not going to keep doing things the old way.”
