Chapter 5 - THE COUSIN WHO DISAPPEARED
Carlo Costa had spent fifteen years being underestimated.
Matteo was the feared one.
Enzo was the violent one.
Carlo was the pleasant cousin who handled real estate contracts, charity dinners, and family accounts.
People called him harmless.
He encouraged it.
But beneath his gentle smile lived a man who had spent his entire adulthood resenting the power he believed should have belonged to him.
When Matteo became ill, Carlo had expected the family to turn naturally toward its remaining blood relative.
Instead, Matteo continued giving orders from his sickbed.
Even dying, he refused to surrender control.
Carlo had made arrangements.
Lawyers.
Bankers.
A restructuring proposal that would transfer control of several holding companies upon Matteo's death.
And a private agreement with an outside investor who stood to gain access to Costa-owned waterfront properties.
Now everything was collapsing.
Carlo sat in a rented apartment outside Philadelphia, watching news reports about Matteo's sudden hospitalization.
His phone buzzed.
A message from an unknown number.
THE MAID TALKED.
He deleted it.
Another message appeared.
THE TEA IS BEING TESTED.
Carlo stared.
He had believed the illness would be attributed to natural causes.
He had believed the doctors would continue looking for an elusive disease.
Most of all, he had believed nobody would listen to a housekeeper.
His phone rang.
He answered.
A woman's voice spoke.
"You promised this would be finished by Friday."
Carlo closed his eyes.
"It was supposed to be."
"Then fix it."
He looked toward the rain-darkened window.
May you like
For the first time, he realized the conspiracy was larger than he controlled.
And the people who had financed it were not interested in excuses.
