Chapter 3 - THE CUT BENEATH THE PAINT
Roman returned to the mansion shortly before midnight.
The broken ladder lay in the maintenance room.
His security director, Gabriel Russo, stood beside it.
Gabriel had been with Roman for eleven years.
He was a former military investigator, a man who trusted evidence more than explanations.
“Tell me,” Roman said.
Gabriel pointed to the fractured support.
“The wood was weakened before the fall.”
Roman stared.
“Deliberately?”
“Looks that way. The damage was concealed beneath fresh paint.”
Roman's expression darkened.
“Who had access?”
“Household staff. Maintenance. Contractors.”
“And Vanessa?”
Gabriel hesitated.
“She ordered the ladder moved into the foyer yesterday.”
Roman looked up.
“Why?”
“She said the decorations needed finishing.”
Roman was silent.
Gabriel continued.
“We also reviewed the camera footage.”
He opened a tablet.
The recording showed Vanessa speaking to Adeline in the foyer.
No audio.
But Adeline could be seen pointing toward the ladder's rear support.
Vanessa folded her arms.
Then pointed toward the upper shelf.
Adeline hesitated.
Finally, she climbed.
Roman watched the recording twice.
On the second viewing, he noticed something.
Vanessa stepped away from the ladder before Adeline reached the top.
She did not look worried.
She looked expectant.
Roman's jaw tightened.
“Find out who damaged it.”
Gabriel nodded.
Then hesitated.
“Boss, there's something else.”
Roman looked at him.
“Adeline's father.”
“What about him?”
“His name was Thomas Bennett.”
Roman frowned.
The name was familiar.
Gabriel continued.
“He died seven years ago in a construction accident at one of the old Bellandi warehouses.”
Roman went still.
“What?”
Gabriel nodded.
“The official report blamed faulty scaffolding.”
Roman stared at the ladder.
A weakened support.
A fall.
A death blamed on equipment failure.
He felt something cold settle in his chest.
“Get me that file.”
Gabriel hesitated.
“Roman, there's more.”
He handed over a photograph.
It showed Thomas Bennett standing beside a half-built warehouse.
Next to him stood a younger Roman Bellandi.
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And behind them, smiling toward the camera, was Vanessa's father.
Anthony Caruso.
