Chapter 3 - THE BUILDING THAT WASN'T EMPTY
I expected Salvatore to order his men to break into Halcyon.
Instead, he contacted his attorney.
That surprised me.
He noticed.
You expected something different?
I hesitated.
Honestly? Yes.
He smiled without humor.
My reputation is useful. But it isn't always accurate.
The following morning, I met him outside a courthouse in downtown Chicago.
He wore a black overcoat.
I wore jeans and my least-worn sneakers.
His attorney, Miriam Cole, had obtained an emergency preservation order preventing demolition until investigators could examine the site.
The order was based on evidence suggesting a missing person might have been inside the building.
At Halcyon, the smell of smoke still hung in the air.
Firefighters had already completed their initial work.
Investigators were examining the damaged sections.
Salvatore remained outside with me.
He didn't try to interfere.
Instead, he showed me a floor plan on his tablet.
Eli worked here.
He pointed to a room labeled TECHNICAL LAB.
I stared.
That's where he would have been.
Salvatore nodded.
An investigator approached.
She introduced herself as Detective Nora Velez.
She spoke directly to Salvatore while maintaining eye contact, then waited as he read her lips and used his tablet.
I appreciated that.
Too many people spoke to me instead of Eli whenever we were together.
Velez turned toward me.
“Are you Eli Bennett's sister?”
I nodded.
“Tessa Bennett.”
She took notes.
“We're trying to establish his last confirmed location.”
I told her about the video message.
The job.
The silence.
The unanswered calls.
Velez listened carefully.
Then asked whether Eli had mentioned any concerns about the company.
I thought back.
He had complained about one thing.
A machine.
A custom-built engraving unit that kept shutting down.
He'd said the software logs didn't match the equipment's actual operating hours.
At the time, I hadn't understood why that mattered.
Now I wondered.
Velez asked if I still had the messages.
I showed her.
She arranged for copies to be preserved.
Two hours later, investigators found something behind a damaged wall panel.
A small metal case.
Inside was a memory card.
And a handwritten note.
The handwriting was Eli's.
I recognized it immediately.
TESSA—IF THEY SAY I LEFT, DON'T BELIEVE THEM.
My knees nearly gave way.
Salvatore caught my elbow.
I stared at the note.
My brother had known he was in danger.
And he'd left a message for me.
Detective Velez looked at Salvatore.
“We need to talk about who had access to this building.”
Salvatore nodded.
Then she added:
“Because the security records show your cousin entered the facility the night of the fire.”
Salvatore went still.
Which cousin? he signed.
May you like
Velez answered.
“Rafael Marquetti.”
