Chapter 5 - THE FRIEND WHO LIED FOR HER BROTHER
Naomi Reed had not slept since Isabelle disappeared.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Eli sitting on the concrete floor with his hands tied.
Her nineteen-year-old brother had always been reckless.
He'd crashed her car.
Failed classes.
Borrowed money without asking.
But he'd never been involved in organized crime.
At least, Naomi hadn't believed he was.
Now he was missing.
And Isabelle had been taken because Naomi followed instructions meant to save him.
The guilt made her physically sick.
Detective Mara Keene met Naomi in a quiet interview room.
There were no threats.
No angry interrogations.
Just a notebook, a glass of water, and a clear statement that Naomi's account could help protect two missing people.
“Start with the first message,” Mara said.
Naomi twisted a tissue between her fingers.
“It came three days before the wedding.”
“What did it say?”
“That my brother owed money.”
“How much?”
“Forty thousand dollars.”
Mara raised an eyebrow.
“What kind of debt?”
Naomi looked down.
“Online gambling. At least that's what Eli told me.”
“Did you verify it?”
“No.”
“What happened next?”
“They sent photographs of him outside his apartment. Then at his college.”
Naomi began crying.
“They knew everything.”
Mara waited.
Naomi continued.
“The night before the wedding, somebody called me. He said Eli had been taken and would be killed if I told Gabriel.”
“Did you tell Isabelle?”
Naomi shook her head.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because they said they'd know.”
Mara made a note.
“What were your instructions?”
Naomi swallowed.
“To leave the bridal suite at 9:40 and stay away until I received another message.”
Mara looked up.
“So the missing clutch was an excuse.”
Naomi closed her eyes.
“Yes.”
The detective leaned forward.
“What happened when you left?”
“A man met me near the private elevator.”
“Description?”
Naomi gave it.
Middle-aged.
Short dark hair.
Gray jacket.
A small scar near his chin.
Mara wrote carefully.
“Did he identify himself?”
“No.”
“What did he do?”
“He took my phone and led me into a housekeeping office on a lower service level.”
“Were you free to leave?”
Naomi shook her head.
“The door locked.”
Mara studied her.
“How long were you there?”
“Almost ninety minutes.”
“And then?”
“He gave me my phone back and told me I could return upstairs.”
Naomi's shoulders began shaking.
“When I got back, Isabelle was gone.”
Mara allowed Naomi a moment to compose herself.
Then asked, “Why didn't you tell the full story immediately?”
Naomi stared at her.
“Because they still had Eli.”
“Do you have the messages?”
Naomi nodded.
“I saved screenshots before they deleted the conversation.”
Mara looked up.
“That could help us.”
Naomi began crying again.
“I betrayed my best friend.”
Mara didn't offer empty reassurance.
She simply said, “You made choices under a serious threat. We need to understand exactly what happened so we can find both of them.”
Naomi wiped her eyes.
“I'll tell you everything.”
Gabriel received the account that afternoon.
He was sitting in his office with Dante when Mara called.
Afterward, he remained motionless for a long time.
Dante watched him.
“What did she say?”
Gabriel looked up.
“Naomi knew someone planned to remove Isabelle from the suite.”
Dante's jaw tightened.
“And she didn't warn us?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Her brother was kidnapped.”
Dante looked away.
“Someone's been planning this for weeks.”
Gabriel nodded.
“Yes.”
He stood and walked toward the window.
He could see the Chicago River beneath the gray afternoon sky.
For twenty years, Gabriel had believed fear was a reliable way to control people.
Now he was watching it destroy the people he loved.
Naomi hadn't cooperated because she hated Isabelle.
She'd cooperated because someone knew exactly how to hurt her.
And whoever orchestrated the disappearance had understood that a frightened person could be manipulated more easily than a loyal one.
Later that day, Naomi agreed to meet Gabriel.
She entered his office trembling.
He stood behind his desk.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then she whispered, “I'm sorry.”
Gabriel looked at her.
“I know.”
Tears ran down her face.
“She was my best friend.”
“Yes.”
“I should've told her.”
“Yes.”
Naomi covered her mouth.
Gabriel looked away.
He wanted to rage.
He wanted to demand why she hadn't trusted him.
But then he remembered something Isabelle once told him.
If people are afraid of how you'll react, they'll hide the truth until it's too late.
He took a slow breath.
“Naomi, I need you to help find Eli.”
She looked up.
“What?”
“The police are working on it. Your messages may help identify where he is.”
She stared.
“Gabriel...”
He continued.
“And when we find him, you'll both need to tell the truth about what happened.”
Naomi nodded through tears.
“I will.”
Across town, Isabelle was given another deadline.
Voss stood beside the table holding a document folder.
“Midnight tomorrow.”
She looked up.
“For what?”
“Your certification.”
“No.”
His expression cooled.
“You seem determined to make this difficult.”
“You're asking me to falsify records.”
“I'm asking you to sign a document.”
She shook her head.
“You know what it would be used for.”
Voss placed a photograph on the table.
Eli sat in the same concrete room.
This time, his face was uninjured.
A recent newspaper lay beside him.
“He's alive,” Voss said.
Isabelle looked at the photograph.
Her relief was immediate.
But she refused to show it.
“Let him go.”
“Sign the report.”
She looked directly at him.
“Then let me examine the original painting first.”
Voss hesitated.
“Why?”
“Because if you want my name on the certificate, I need to know exactly what I'm certifying.”
He studied her.
Then smiled faintly.
“Finally, we're negotiating.”
Isabelle lowered her eyes.
She had no intention of signing anything false.
But she needed access to the painting.
Because hidden behind the canvas was evidence its owners were desperate to destroy.
And if she could recover it, she might have a chance to escape.
That evening, Mara's team located Eli Reed.
A lead from Naomi's phone records pointed investigators toward a disused auto repair business on the western outskirts of Chicago.
Officers obtained the necessary authorization and approached the building.
Inside, Eli was found locked in a small office.
He was frightened and dehydrated.
But alive.
Two men attempted to flee through the rear entrance.
Both were detained.
Eli was taken for medical evaluation and a formal interview.
When Naomi received the call, she collapsed into a chair.
“Is he okay?”
Mara nodded.
“He's safe.”
Naomi began sobbing.
For the first time since the wedding morning, she could breathe.
Eli's testimony provided another clue.
He'd overheard his captors discussing a transfer scheduled for Friday night.
One man had mentioned a warehouse beside the river.
Another referred to a company called Meridian.
And once, during a telephone conversation, Eli heard a name.
“Moreno.”
Mara looked up.
“Are you certain?”
Eli nodded.
“He said, ‘Mr. Moreno won't like this.’”
At 11:48 p.m., Gabriel received the update.
He was standing in his office, staring at the unsigned Meridian agreement.
Dante entered.
“Boss.”
Gabriel turned.
“Yeah?”
“Eli's alive.”
Relief crossed Gabriel's face.
“Good.”
“And he heard Moreno's name.”
Gabriel went still.
Dante continued.
“The investigators are following up.”
Gabriel looked toward the desk.
Sal Moreno.
His closest adviser.
The man who'd stood beside him after his father's death.
The man who'd arranged the security for his wedding.
The man who had urged him to attack the Ferraros before any evidence was examined.
Gabriel slowly opened the bottom drawer.
Inside lay an old photograph.
Gabriel and Sal standing beside his father at a family celebration.
Three men smiling.
Three generations of trust.
Or so Gabriel had believed.
He looked at Dante.
“Get Michael Bell.”
“What for?”
“I want an independent review of every agreement Sal approved in the last six months.”
Dante nodded.
“And Sal?”
Gabriel stared at the photograph.
“He doesn't know we're looking at him.”
May you like
A long silence followed.
Then Gabriel added, “Let's keep it that way until we have proof.”
