Chapter 4 - The Son Who Could Read Every Lie
Caleb pulled Hannah behind a heavy storage cabinet and pointed to a second staircase. They moved silently through the dark, her pulse racing. Below them, a door opened. A man's voice drifted upward. 'Mr. Vale wants his son home.' It was Rourke.
Caleb guided Hannah across a narrow rooftop bridge to the next building. Snow stung her face. He gripped her wrist, steady and careful, until they reached a fire escape. Only when they were safely inside a neighboring apartment did she allow herself to shake.
The apartment belonged to Nora Bell, a retired teacher who had taught Caleb American Sign Language when he was a teenager. Nora greeted him with a fierce hug, then looked at Hannah with quick, assessing eyes. 'He doesn't bring people here,' she said. 'Not unless he trusts them.'
Nora served tomato soup in chipped blue bowls, insisting that frightened people still needed lunch. Hannah almost smiled at the normalcy of it. Caleb thanked Nora with a quick flourish of his hands, and Nora teased him about never washing his dishes.
Nora told Hannah what the family newspapers never printed. Caleb's mother, Isabelle, had insisted he receive an education and learn to advocate for himself. After her death, Dominic withdrew him from public life. Nora had continued teaching him in secret for years. 'His father thought silence meant surrender,' she said. 'Caleb learned it could also be cover.'
Caleb opened a laptop and displayed scanned invoices from the week of the explosion. A shell company had paid for industrial detonators. Its owner was listed as a nonexistent warehouse in Indiana. The authorization signature resembled Dominic's, but Caleb believed it had been forged. He had one more clue: a voicemail Isabelle had left for Nora, warning that she had discovered a plan to steal from Dominic and frame her for it.
Hannah watched the transcript scroll across the screen. Isabelle had not been threatening to leave her husband. She had been preparing to expose someone close to him.
The old teacher showed Hannah a photograph from Caleb’s graduation. He stood between Nora and Isabelle’s sister, holding a diploma Dominic had never acknowledged. Hannah saw pride in his expression and wondered how many milestones had been erased from the public story of his life.
A message arrived from an unknown number on Hannah's phone: YOUR BROTHER EVAN ASKED QUESTIONS TOO. Hannah froze. Evan had died of a diagnosed heart condition. There had been no reason for a mafia family to know his name, much less suggest a connection.
Caleb read the message over her shoulder. He did not rush to promise revenge. Instead, he asked permission before taking her hand. When she nodded, his fingers closed around hers.
We find out what it means, he signed. Together, if you choose.
Hannah called Tessa and asked her to preserve a screenshot of the message about Evan. Tessa told her to keep the original phone and not answer the sender. They agreed to meet in a public place the following day, unless Hannah sent a coded message asking for help.
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Hannah was still staring at the screen when Nora received a call. She listened, turned pale, and set the phone down. 'Dominic is holding a press conference tomorrow,' she said. 'He's announcing Caleb's engagement.'
Caleb stared at her. He had never agreed to marry anyone.
