Chapter 16 - Susan’s Last Secret
Susan did not deny the accusation. She sat in the kitchen with a cup of tea, staring at the steam as if it contained a verdict.
Roman stood by the window. Claire sat beside Lily, who had not spoken to Susan since the bakery.
“Did you kill Dominic?” Roman asked.
Susan answered, “I gave him a choice.”
“That is not what Peter said.”
“Peter has always preferred simple stories.”
Susan explained that Dominic had ordered Mara’s death and planned to kill Roman next. Susan confronted him in the old warehouse, carrying evidence that would expose him. She offered to take the records to the police if he surrendered power.
“He refused,” she said. “He reached for a gun. I fired first.”
Claire asked, “Was it self-defense?”
“The law will decide.”
Roman’s voice was quiet. “Why did you hide it?”
“Because Dominic’s men would have killed you. Because Peter was already taking control. Because I believed I could protect the family by becoming the person who held the secret.”
“You let me believe I inherited a clean death.”
“There was nothing clean about any of it.”
Lily finally spoke. “Did my mother know?”
Susan turned toward her. “Mara knew I was going to confront him. She wanted to come with me.”
“But you stopped her.”
“I thought one of you had to survive.”
“You always choose who survives.”
Susan accepted the words. “I did. And I was wrong to believe love gave me that right.”
Roman looked at Claire. “She will go to prison.”
Claire did not answer immediately. Susan had lied to her and protected her. Both things were true. She had saved Roman and failed Mara. Both things were true.
“You need a lawyer,” Claire told Susan.
“I have one.”
“Not one who has represented the family for thirty years.”
Susan smiled faintly. “There is the baker again.”
“The baker is expensive.”
The doorbell rang. Elena entered with a new development: Peter’s confession had been recorded by Victor before his arrest. In it, Peter claimed Susan had killed Dominic because she wanted control of the family.
“Is it true?” Elena asked.
Susan looked at Roman. “I wanted control long enough to get Roman out.”
“That is not the same as wanting the empire.”
“The court may not care about the distinction.”
Claire remembered the black ledger’s orange slashes. The victims. The people trapped by Dominic and later managed by Roman. “The ledger can show the pattern.”
Elena shook her head. “It shows motive, not the moment of the shooting.”
Claire thought of the copper cylinder, the recipe code, and the hidden recordings. “Mara was there.”
“Mara is dead.”
“But she recorded everything.”
They searched the bakery again. Claire examined the recipes marked with orange zest. The numbers formed a date: the day after Dominic died. The location code pointed to a storage unit near the Strip District.
Roman insisted on coming. Claire insisted that Elena lead the operation. He agreed, though he disliked it.
At the storage unit, they found boxes of photographs and a cassette player. The recording began with Dominic shouting. Then came Susan’s voice, calm and clear, ordering him to drop the gun. A shot rang out. Dominic cursed. A second shot followed only after he raised the weapon.
Mara’s voice appeared at the end. “If anyone hears this, Susan saved Roman. She did not create the war. Dominic did.”
Elena exhaled. “That supports self-defense.”
Susan covered her face.
Lily moved toward her, then stopped. “I am not ready to forgive you.”
Susan lowered her hands. “You do not have to be.”
“But I want to know my mother.”
Susan nodded through tears. “I will tell you everything.”
Outside, Roman stood beside Claire beneath the elevated tracks. “You saved my mother.”
“I found evidence.”
“You chose to look.”
“That is what partners do.”
He turned toward her. “Are we partners?”
Claire considered the word. “In the investigation.”
“Only the investigation?”
She smiled. “You are still on probation.”
His answering smile was tired but genuine.
May you like
Then Elena’s phone rang.
Victor had escaped custody.
