Chapter 7 - THE BROTHER WHO CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD
The meeting took place in a police-controlled interview room rather than the abandoned loading dock.
Dominic had insisted on it.
If the sender was Mateo, he wanted to see his brother alive.
If it was a trap, he refused to make Vivien pay for his desperation.
Detective Ellison arranged the contact through a secure intermediary after investigators verified that the messages were coming from someone with knowledge of the original evidence.
Dominic waited for forty-seven minutes.
Vivien sat beside him.
His Rolex lay on the table.
Seven minutes slow.
Exactly as Mateo had wanted.
At 9:17 p.m., the door opened.
A man entered wearing a dark sweater and worn blue jeans.
He had a narrow scar along his jaw.
His dark hair was streaked with gray.
He walked with a slight limp.
Dominic stood so suddenly his chair fell backward.
"Mateo?"
The man stopped.
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then his eyes filled.
"Hey, little brother."
Dominic took one step.
Stopped.
As though moving any closer might cause the man to vanish.
Mateo smiled sadly.
"Still wearing Dad's watch?"
Dominic covered his mouth.
Then crossed the room.
He embraced his brother with such force that Mateo stumbled.
For several seconds, neither could speak.
Dominic was crying openly.
Mateo held him.
"I'm here."
Dominic shook his head.
"I buried you."
"I know."
"I buried you, Mateo."
His voice broke.
"I know."
Vivien turned away to give them a moment.
But she could still hear Dominic.
"I thought you were dead."
Mateo whispered, "I'm sorry."
The words were small.
Inadequate.
And absolutely necessary.
When the brothers finally sat down, Mateo explained what had happened.
He had discovered financial records tying Lorenzo to illegal construction payments, bribery, and the diversion of substantial assets from family-controlled companies.
More importantly, he had uncovered evidence that Lorenzo was arranging attacks on his own associates to consolidate control.
Mateo intended to cooperate with authorities.
But before he could finish, someone inside the organization learned about his plans.
His car was sabotaged.
He escaped the vehicle shortly before it entered the river.
Injured and convinced that Dominic's inner circle had been compromised, he vanished with assistance from an attorney already communicating with investigators.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Dominic demanded.
Mateo looked at him.
"Because the last time I asked you to help, you refused."
Dominic flinched.
Mateo continued.
"I thought you were loyal to Lorenzo."
"I was loyal to you."
"Then why didn't you listen?"
Dominic lowered his eyes.
"Because I was afraid."
Mateo said nothing.
Dominic swallowed.
"I was afraid the family would fall apart."
A bitter smile crossed Mateo's face.
"So you let it rot instead."
The words hurt.
Vivien could see that.
But Dominic didn't argue.
He looked at his brother.
"You're right."
Mateo blinked.
For the first time since entering the room, he seemed genuinely surprised.
Dominic continued.
"I made the wrong choice."
His voice trembled.
"And I'm sorry."
Mateo stared at him for a long moment.
Then looked away.
"I wanted to come back."
"Why didn't you?"
"Because the men following me kept finding every place I stayed. Somebody was feeding Lorenzo information."
Dominic nodded.
"That explains the false identification."
Mateo looked toward Detective Ellison.
"Someone inside the original investigation accepted money to close the case."
Mara confirmed that the identification records were being investigated as part of the broader conspiracy.
Mateo turned back to Dominic.
"I couldn't know whom to trust."
His eyes moved to Vivien.
"Until she authenticated the sketches."
Vivien straightened.
"What?"
Mateo nodded.
"Eleanor Cole's daughter."
Her heart stopped.
"You knew my mother?"
Mateo's expression softened.
"Yes."
Vivien gripped the edge of her chair.
"Did she work with you?"
He nodded.
"For a short time, before the fire."
Tears filled her eyes.
Mateo continued.
"Your mother made copies of the records Halden had collected. She was one of the few people who understood how he'd concealed them."
Vivien swallowed.
"Was Lorenzo responsible for her death?"
Mateo looked toward Mara.
"That's what the investigators have been trying to establish."
He turned back to Vivien.
"I can tell you she was threatened. I can tell you she refused to destroy evidence."
His voice grew quiet.
"And I can tell you she wasn't forgotten."
Vivien covered her mouth.
For eleven years, she'd believed her mother's final work had disappeared.
Now Mateo was telling her it had inspired him to continue the investigation.
"She was brave," he said.
Vivien nodded through tears.
"Yes."
After the meeting, Dominic stood alone in the hallway.
Vivien approached.
"Are you okay?"
He laughed weakly.
"No."
She stood beside him.
"He's alive."
Dominic closed his eyes.
"I know."
"You found him."
He shook his head.
"He found me."
Vivien looked at him.
"Does that matter?"
Dominic considered the question.
Then smiled sadly.
"Not as much as I thought."
He looked through the window into the interview room.
Mateo was speaking with Mara.
His brother.
Alive.
Real.
Older.
Changed.
Dominic took a slow breath.
"I spent eleven months thinking I would give anything for another conversation with him."
"And now?"
"Now I have to figure out how to live with what he might say."
Vivien smiled gently.
"That's usually how second chances work."
He turned toward her.
"You're very wise for someone who keeps getting involved with criminals."
She raised an eyebrow.
"I'm considering better company."
Dominic laughed.
For the first time in weeks, it sounded genuine.
Then he grew serious.
"Vivien, I want to ask you something."
"What?"
"Will you stay while I sort this out?"
She looked at him.
"As what?"
He hesitated.
"Someone I care about."
Vivien's heart tightened.
She took a breath.
"Dominic, I won't be your secret."
He nodded.
"Understood."
"And I won't be another possession you protect by keeping me locked away."
"Understood."
She studied him.
"Then maybe."
A faint smile appeared.
"Maybe?"
She returned it.
"That's the best offer you're getting tonight."
He laughed softly.
Then held out his hand.
She took it.
And they walked down the hallway together.
That night, Mateo sent Vivien a message through the investigator.
It contained a photograph.
A younger Eleanor Cole stood beside a restoration table, smiling.
Behind her was a man Vivien recognized as Mateo.
On the back, in her mother's handwriting, were seven words:
Truth survives when someone remembers where to look.
Vivien stared at the photograph until her eyes filled.
Then she noticed something in the corner.
A small black notebook.
Its cover carried a gold letter.
C.
Cole.
Her mother's notebook.
Vivien immediately called Detective Ellison.
May you like
Because that notebook had disappeared the night Eleanor died.
And if it still existed, it might contain the one piece of evidence nobody had found.
