The Father Nobody Mentioned
Chapter 08 - The Father Nobody Mentioned
Olivia had grown up believing her father died in a mechanical accident at a freight yard. Ruth rarely spoke about him. A small framed photograph on the mantel showed a smiling man in a work jacket holding toddler Olivia in his arms. She remembered him mostly through Ruth's stories about his terrible singing and the way he cooked pancakes on Sundays.
Now Ruth explained that Thomas Hayes had been a contract driver working at the waterfront warehouse when it exploded. His death had been listed among the industrial casualties. He had told Ruth days earlier that shipments recorded as medical aid were being redirected to private buyers. Matteo Greco, the accountant, had encouraged him to keep copies of delivery logs.
After the explosion, people from a legal firm affiliated with the warehouse offered Ruth a settlement. She was twenty-nine, had a young child, and believed taking it would allow her family to survive. The agreement discouraged public accusations but did not prevent her from reporting crimes. Fear had done the rest.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Olivia asked.
"Because I couldn't bear for you to grow up thinking your father died because he did something dangerous and foolish."
"He was trying to tell the truth."
Ruth began to cry. "Yes."
Olivia carried the letter to her attorney. Inside was a copy of Thomas's handwritten account of the misdirected shipments, listing truck numbers and dates. At the bottom, in small letters, were the initials A.B. Luca recognized Adrian Bellini's company from the records in Angelo's box.
This time, Luca did not hide the findings. The relevant documents went to investigators, who would determine what could be authenticated and what offenses, if any, remained prosecutable. Sofia helped the family locate archived records and offered to accompany Ruth during an interview.
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Olivia listened to all of them discussing witnesses and evidence. She thought of her father dying in a warehouse while a powerful family spent years arguing about whose version of the story mattered most.
Luca asked whether she was all right. She took a moment before answering. "I don't know. But I think I'm done being afraid of asking what happened."
