Chapter 12
Her mother’s maiden name.
Nico moved one step farther into the room.
The faint light caught the edge of his face.
He was still wearing the dark suit from the night before, though the jacket hung open and his shirt was creased.
His hair was damp, as if he had driven through the rain with the window lowered.
He looked as though he had not slept.
Norah’s heart reacted before her mind could stop it.
She hated that it did.
She hated that seeing his exhaustion made her want to reach for him.
He saw the movement in her expression and looked away.
“Whatever you found,” he said, “you should not read it alone.”
“I am not alone.”
“I meant without knowing what you’re looking at.”
“Then explain it.”
Nico’s gaze shifted to the open ledger.
For the first time since entering the basement, he looked truly unprepared.
“What is this?”
“You tell me.”
“I’ve never seen that book.”
“But you know Bell Street.”
“I know the building.”
“You told someone it was closed.”
“It was supposed to be.”
“Why?”
“Because your mother asked me to keep people away from it.”
Norah felt the room narrow around them.
“You knew my mother had a storage room here?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Since before she died.”
Mara made a sharp, disbelieving sound.
Norah turned another page.
“You knew about the ledger.”
“I knew she kept records.”
“That is not the same thing.”
“No.”
“Did you search for it?”
Nico’s expression tightened.
“Not until after she passed.”
“Why?”
“Because she left instructions.”
“Instructions for you?”
“For everyone who worked for my family.”
Norah looked at him.
“What did they say?”
Nico descended the last step.
He stopped several feet away from her, leaving enough space that she could have moved past him if she wanted.
“Your mother told my father that no one from the Moretti family was to enter this room unless you were present.”
Norah looked at the photograph.
“Why would he agree to that?”
“Because he owed her.”
The words fell quietly.
Norah stared at him.
“What did he owe her?”
“I don’t know.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I expect you to understand that my father kept many things from me.”
She almost laughed.
The phrase on the photograph seemed to pulse beneath the weak light.
Nico does not know who he is.
“You’ve spent your entire life around secrets,” Norah said.