I knew I had killed a relative of Lele’s, but someone she considered a sister?
“I didn’t realize.” Lele had given me some information on Felisa, but Rinaldo obviously didn’t realize that.
“No one did.”
“But why keep that a secret?” I ask. “Who cares how they’re related?”
“It’s not their relation that’s the concern.”
“What is?”
“I told you that Felisa had a daughter.” Rinaldo takes his hand away from his face and stares at me. I nod, and he continues. “The girl was legally adopted by Felisa, but her biological mother is…is Lele.”
I pause and think, trying to put everything together, but I’m missing something. Lele had a second child? When?
“How old is she?”
“Seven. Lele had her the year before you came on board. I sent her to Italy so no one would notice her condition.”
I feel all the organs inside my body drop, and I freeze, staring at Rinaldo.
“She cheated on me,” he says with a shrug. “It’s not like I didn’t deserve it or anything, but she screwed up and got pregnant. I’d been away at the time of conception. I knew after the first doctor’s visit that it wasn’t mine. We talked about raising it together, but I just couldn’t, Evan. I couldn’t raise a kid that belonged to a man who happened to fuck my wife while I was away on business. It’s no different than Nick, really. Lele can’t even stand to have Nick in our house. If nothing else, I’d lose respect.”
He’s correct there. As sexist as it is, Rinaldo having an illegitimate child is one thing, but his wife? That is a whole other matter.
“Lele wanted Felisa to raise the girl,” Rinaldo says. “That’s why I have been sending money to her off-shore accounts. It’s for Margot, Lele’s daughter. Now I have no idea what to tell Lele.”
“Where’s the girl now?”
“In New York with Felisa’s parents, Lele’s brother and sister-in-law.”
“Will they raise her?”
“No. They made it very clear the arrangement was to be temporary. Felisa goes there on the weekends, but she’s been working on getting Margot enrolled in school here. Lele can’t stand her brother, and I don’t think she’d let him raise the girl anyway. Felisa was the only option.”
Something still doesn’t make sense.
“But sir, you were with Felisa.”
“I was.” He nods and looks down. “I didn’t plan for that to happen. Having her show up here in Chicago reminded me of Lele’s affair. I think it started as a revenge fuck, but it turned into something else. I got a little carried away, and she paid for it.”
Rinaldo looks at me, and I feel my insides seize up again when I notice the tears at the corners of his eyes. I keep waiting for his anger, but it doesn’t come.
“Did you take care of everythi
ng else?” he asks quietly.
“Yes.” I run my hand through my hair. I can’t quite look him in the eye. “Franklyn got her taken over to that funeral home we used for Mario. They’re all set up for the day after tomorrow. No questions. All the money that was transferred is now in the name Margot Bianchi.”
“And the things you found with her?”
“Nothing conclusive, but it certainly points south. No one has taken credit or contacted us about it. I don’t have anything concrete, and I want to be sure before moving forward. Jonathan is looking into a couple of things regarding the books and focusing on who ambushed us.”
“Identities on any of the bodies?”
“A group of merc hit men from out of state,” I tell him. “Anyone could have hired them.”
“They should have hired better ones.”