Shadow Warrior (Shadow Riders 4)

“I had Emme talk to her,” Stefano said. “She was able to get some information, but Suzette never saw the men who talked to John. She knew they had and she admitted to making the decision with him to deliver packages.”

Eloisa scowled at Stefano. “You sent Emmanuelle to talk to Suzette instead of coming to me first? John and Suzette have been my friends for years. It was my place.”

“No, it wasn’t. You’re not thinking clearly, which is exactly why I didn’t send you, Eloisa,” Stefano said. “Emmanuelle handled it with sensitivity, although personally, I wanted to shake Suzette. She didn’t think it was a betrayal to work for the Saldis because they didn’t ask for information about us.”

“Where were the packages delivered?” Vittorio asked before Eloisa could attack Emmanuelle, which she clearly was about to do.

“Suzette swore she didn’t know. They were given to John after hours and he took them. She said we could follow the car’s GPS. It was always on. John liked gadgets. The contents were downloaded by Rosina before the car was turned over to the police,” Stefano said.

“She had no idea what was in the packages?” Ricco asked.

“No, John handled everything,” Emmanuelle spoke for the first time. Her voice was tight, and she didn’t look at any of them. “Suzette didn’t want to know. She wanted the money, so she pretended what they were doing was all right. She claimed she didn’t believe it was illegal or that it was a betrayal. She couldn’t even say for certain someone in the Saldi organization had approached John. She didn’t actually see or hear anything, because she wasn’t there. John shared the information, so it’s hearsay.”

Eloisa made a sound in the back of her throat. Her eyes narrowed on her daughter. “You interrogated Suzette and that’s what you got out of her?”

“Yes, Eloisa, that’s what I got and those were my conclusions. Suzette admitted she wanted the money and she encouraged John to do whatever was asked of him. She didn’t want to know what it was, but she wanted him to do it.”

“That’s ludicrous. What woman wouldn’t want to know what her man was up to? Oh, wait, that would be you, my own daughter, having an affair with the enemy. What did you think Valentino Saldi was up to, Emmanuelle? Did you really think he loved you?” Eloisa’s voice was a sneer. “Because you didn’t notice all the other women in and out of his life? Because I noticed, and I believe I pointed them out to you.”

“Eloisa.” Stefano’s voice was pure warning.

“No, let her,” Emmanuelle said. “She may as well spew all her hatred and venom at me instead of anyone else. Maybe if she does it enough she’ll find a way to be a decent human being.” Her chin went up when she faced her mother. “You did point out all the women, thank you, Eloisa, and yes, I did think Val loved me. That was my mistake. But at no time did I betray our family. I’m not worried whether or not you believe me, I only answer to Stefano.”

Eloisa opened her mouth to retaliate, her scowl of disapproval along with her flush at her daughter’s sudden defiance darkening her skin.

Vittorio intervened. “That’s enough, Eloisa. Emmanuelle has done nothing wrong. You’ve always disapproved of her . . .”

“Because you all baby her,” Eloisa nearly screamed. Her hands were two tight fists on the table. “How is she going to be strong enough to have the tools to survive if you don’t let her fall now?”

“Don’t worry, Eloisa,” Emmanuelle said in a very low tone. “I’ve fallen over and over. I got back up and I will every time. I’m a Ferraro first. I always will be. I don’t regret loving Val. I don’t believe loving anyone is wrong. He made the mistake, not me. It’s his loss. I’ll cope. But I didn’t do anything or say anything that would have led to John’s death.” She made it an absolute statement.

Vittorio turned everyone’s attention elsewhere before Eloisa could respond. “Until that investigation into the GPS on John’s vehicle is complete, we’re just spinning our wheels. What are we doing about Haydon Phillips?”

“The Grecos used the photographs to pinpoint Phillips’s location when he took them. There is always latitude and longitude embedded in the metadata,” Stefano said immediately. “Apparently, he turned the location finder off, but didn’t go into the file’s properties to disable the GPS.”

Vittorio frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. He turned off the location finder so no one could see where the photograph was taken, but didn’t go into properties to make certain the GPS feature was disabled? Phillips is thorough. I can’t imagine him missing that.”

“Not everyone knows everything about digital cameras,” Taviano pointed out. “We have to keep up with the latest technology and we’re always required to learn as it comes out.”