Chapter 14 - The Costello Rule
Gabriel did not wait for the men outside to make the first move.
He crossed the chapel and pulled open a narrow door beside the altar.
"Basement."
Chloe stared at him.
"There is a basement?"
"There is always a basement."
Rocco grabbed the metal box from Beatrice.
"Move."
Beatrice looked toward the front windows.
Dark figures were crossing between the cemetery stones.
She could not hear the car doors shutting.
She did not need to.
She saw the urgency on every face.
Chloe took her hand.
They descended a tight stone staircase.
Gabriel came last and locked the door behind them.
The basement smelled of damp earth and candle wax.
An old furnace occupied one corner.
A wooden storage rack covered the opposite wall.
Rocco pushed it aside.
A narrow tunnel appeared.
Chloe looked at him.
"You knew about this?"
"Anthony showed me once."
Gabriel gave him a dark look.
"My father showed you and not me?"
Rocco shrugged.
"He trusted me with exits."
"Apparently he trusted everyone with things except his son."
Beatrice stopped.
She turned toward Gabriel.
Her hands moved.
Your father tried to teach you caution.
You thought caution was fear.
Chloe hesitated before translating.
Gabriel gave a humorless smile.
"Translate."
She did.
He absorbed it.
"That sounds like him."
The first heavy impact hit the chapel doors above them.
Dust drifted from the ceiling.
Gabriel pointed into the tunnel.
"Go."
They moved single file through the darkness.
Rocco used a flashlight.
Chloe kept one hand on Beatrice's shoulder.
The tunnel sloped downhill beneath the cemetery.
Behind them, another impact shook the walls.
Then another.
A distant crack suggested the chapel doors had finally given way.
Chloe's heart hammered.
"How far?"
"Two hundred yards," Rocco said.
"To where?"
"Family crypt."
Chloe nearly stopped.
"Of course it is."
Gabriel's voice came from behind her.
"Would you prefer the people upstairs?"
"Ask me after I see the crypt."
They reached a ladder.
Rocco climbed first and pushed against a stone panel.
Gray daylight appeared.
They emerged behind a mausoleum at the far end of the cemetery.
A gravel service road ran beyond the trees.
One black sedan waited there.
Matteo stood beside it with his injured arm in a sling.
Chloe stared.
"You were supposed to be resting."
"I tried."
"And?"
"Boring."
Gabriel looked back toward the chapel.
"Drive."
They were inside the sedan within seconds.
Matteo accelerated down the service road.
No one spoke until the chapel disappeared behind the hill.
Then Gabriel's phone rang.
Vincent.
Gabriel answered on speaker.
"What did you do?"
Vincent sounded furious.
"Saved you."
Gabriel laughed once.
"Your men surrounded a church."
"My men surrounded Luca's men."
Rocco leaned toward the phone.
"How many?"
"Four of mine."
Vincent paused.
"Eight of his."
Gabriel's expression changed.
"Where is Luca?"
"Not there."
"How do you know?"
"Because he called me ten minutes ago and told me to keep you inside the chapel."
Chloe looked at Beatrice.
The older woman's eyes hardened.
Gabriel spoke quietly.
"You admit he gives you orders."
Silence on the phone.
Vincent exhaled.
"I admit I have been trying to stay alive."
"By helping him murder my father?"
Vincent said nothing.
Gabriel's voice dropped.
"Answer me."
"Not over the phone."
Chloe almost laughed.
"Everyone in this family needs a new sentence."
Vincent heard her.
"Chloe is with you?"
"Yes."
"Then don't take her to the house."
Gabriel's eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
"Because Luca has someone on your security staff."
Rocco swore.
"Who?"
"I don't know."
"Useful."
"I know the access came from inside."
Gabriel looked at the passing road.
"Where do you want to meet?"
Vincent gave an address.
Rocco recognized it.
"Old boxing club."
"Public enough to discourage stupidity," Vincent said.
"Private enough to talk."
Gabriel ended the call.
Chloe stared at him.
"We're trusting Vincent now?"
"No."
"Good."
"We're listening."
Beatrice looked at her son.
He had chosen the word deliberately.
She noticed.
So did Chloe.
The boxing club had been closed for a decade.
Dust covered the faded posters on the walls.
A single ring stood beneath hanging lights.
Vincent waited alone beside it.
No jacket.
No visible weapon.
Both hands open.
Gabriel entered first.
"Start talking."
Vincent looked at Beatrice.
Then Chloe.
Then Rocco.
"Quite a team."
"Start."
Vincent's smile vanished.
"Luca killed Anthony."
Gabriel went completely still.
"You knew."
"I suspected before it happened."
"Did you help him?"
Vincent looked away.
"I helped him cover things after."
Gabriel crossed the distance between them.
He grabbed Vincent by the shirt and slammed him against the ring post.
Beatrice did not flinch.
Chloe did.
Rocco stayed close but did not intervene.
Gabriel's voice was frighteningly quiet.
"Did you help him kill my father?"
"No."
"Did you know he was going to?"
"Not until it was done."
"You changed my mother's statement to police."
Vincent closed his eyes.
"Yes."
Gabriel hit the post beside Vincent's head.
The metal rang through the empty gym.
"Why?"
"Because Luca had records on me."
"What records?"
Vincent looked at Rocco.
"Valenti."
Rocco's expression hardened.
Vincent continued.
"I stole from Anthony."
"How much?"
"Enough that he would have cut me out of the family."
"So you helped Luca silence him."
"I helped Luca after Anthony was dead."
Gabriel released him with disgust.
Vincent straightened his shirt.
"There is a difference."
Beatrice's hands rose.
Cowardice before.
Cowardice after.
Same man.
Chloe translated.
Vincent looked at Beatrice.
For the first time, he seemed ashamed.
"I know."
She stared at him.
He did not know the sign for apology.
He did not even try.
That seemed to hurt her more.
Chloe stepped forward.
"Leo."
Vincent's eyes moved to her.
"What happened to my brother?"
Vincent swallowed.
"He found the ledger by accident."
"We know that."
"Luca found out he had photographed it."
"We know that too."
"Leo sent messages to people he thought might help."
Chloe's heart tightened.
"Who?"
"Rocco."
Rocco nodded.
"Beatrice."
Beatrice did not move.
Vincent looked at Gabriel.
"And you."
Chloe turned slowly.
Gabriel frowned.
"No."
Vincent reached into his pocket and removed a folded printout.
"He emailed you."
Gabriel shook his head.
"I never received anything from Leo Bennett."
Vincent handed the page to Chloe.
The message was dated two days before Leo died.
TO: [email protected].
SUBJECT: YOUR FATHER'S LEDGER.
The body was short.
MR. COSTELLO.
I FOUND SOMETHING I THINK BELONGS TO YOUR FAMILY.
YOUR MOTHER KNOWS WHO I AM.
I AM DEAF, SO PLEASE EMAIL OR TEXT.
DO NOT CALL.
I THINK SOMEONE IS FOLLOWING ME.
Chloe's eyes blurred.
Below it was a reply sent eleven minutes later.
STOP CONTACTING THIS OFFICE.
RETURN ANY PROPERTY YOU TOOK.
IF YOU APPROACH MY FAMILY AGAIN, THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES.
Chloe looked at Gabriel.
He stared at the printout as if it were written in blood.
"I did not write that."
Vincent laughed bitterly.
"That's what I thought you would say."
Gabriel grabbed the page.
"I didn't."
Chloe's voice went cold.
"Who had access to your email?"
"My assistant."
"Who?"
Gabriel looked at Rocco.
Rocco already knew.
"Luca's niece," Rocco said.
Gabriel nodded.
"Elena DeSantis."
Vincent shook his head.
"It did not come from her terminal."
Gabriel stared at him.
"Then where?"
Vincent took out another page.
"Your office terminal."
Gabriel's jaw tightened.
"I was not in the office that afternoon."
"I know."
"How?"
"Because you were with me."
Gabriel went silent.
Vincent continued.
"We were at the Port Authority meeting from noon until five."
Chloe looked at the timestamp.
2:18 p.m.
Someone had entered Gabriel's office and used his computer while he was gone.
"Security footage?" she asked.
Vincent's face darkened.
"Deleted."
Rocco gave a humorless laugh.
"Luca."
Vincent nodded.
"Probably."
"Probably is doing a lot of work in this family," Chloe said.
Gabriel folded the paper.
"Why are you telling us now?"
Vincent looked at him.
"Because Luca is cleaning house."
"Meaning?"
"Price disappeared last week."
Rocco's expression sharpened.
"The federal agent?"
"Retired three months ago."
Vincent nodded.
"Luca thinks Price kept copies."
"Did he?"
"I don't know."
"And you think you're next."
Vincent smiled without humor.
"I know I am."
Beatrice signed.
Good.
Chloe did not translate.
Vincent looked at her.
"What did she say?"
"You don't want to know."
A phone rang.
Not Gabriel's.
Not Rocco's.
Vincent's.
He looked at the screen.
His face drained of color.
"Luca."
Gabriel held out his hand.
"Answer it."
Vincent did.
He put the call on speaker.
Luca's voice filled the empty gym.
"You always were weak, Vincent."
Vincent looked around.
"Where are you?"
Luca laughed softly.
"Closer than Gabriel thinks."
Beatrice looked toward the ceiling.
Then toward the locker room door.
Her eyes narrowed.
Luca continued.
"Tell Gabriel the old Costello rule."
Gabriel's face hardened.
Vincent said nothing.
Luca repeated.
"Tell him."
Vincent looked at Gabriel.
"Family before truth."
Gabriel stared at him.
Then he looked at Beatrice.
She was already signing.
Wrong rule.
Gabriel looked at Chloe.
"What did she say?"
Chloe smiled faintly.
"She says it's the wrong rule."
Beatrice signed again.
Truth protects family.
Lies only protect cowards.
Gabriel watched her hands carefully.
He did not understand every sign.
But he understood enough.
He looked at Vincent.
"Then the rule changes today."
The line went silent.
Luca had ended the call.
A second later, every light in the boxing club went out.
In the darkness, Chloe heard the locker room door open.
May you like
Then Beatrice's hand disappeared from hers.
