The Wife Everyone Called a Runaway
Chapter 04 - The Wife Everyone Called a Runaway
Sofia Caruso had come from a family of schoolteachers and mechanics. She was not impressed by the Caruso name, and that had been the first thing Angelo liked about her. At twenty-nine she'd married Gabriel in a small church rather than the cathedral Angelo offered to rent.
She'd told him, "I want a marriage, not a parade."
Angelo remembered laughing. He remembered thinking his eldest son had finally found someone strong enough to stand beside him.
Then Gabriel died, and Sofia's grief had frightened the family. She stopped appearing at social functions. She demanded the police reexamine the crash. She fought with Vincent over business documents, and she accused Celia of going through her belongings.
Six months earlier she'd vanished after leaving a note that said she needed time away. Vincent claimed she'd stolen cash and abandoned her child. Angelo had hired private investigators, but each produced an equally discouraging report.
Now he wondered who had chosen those investigators.
Rafael followed the money. Payment records showed that one investigative firm had received consulting fees from a company Vincent controlled. Another investigator had been given false travel information suggesting Sofia fled to Portugal.
"Somebody wanted you looking in the wrong direction," Rafael said.
Angelo studied the dates. "My son wanted me looking in the wrong direction."
They interviewed a former housekeeper, June Bell, who had quit suddenly after Sofia disappeared. June agreed to talk when Angelo promised she wouldn't be threatened for honesty.
"Mrs. Caruso never meant to leave Matteo," she said. "She packed one bag for herself and one for him. She told me they were going somewhere safe."
"Then why did she go alone?"
June wiped her face. "Celia said Matteo had a fever and was sleeping. She sent me away. When Sofia came down, two men were waiting. I heard arguing, then a door slam. The next day they said she'd left."
"Did you tell anyone?"
"I tried. Mr. Vincent told me I'd misunderstood. Then my husband's job disappeared. I was scared."
Angelo lowered his head. He had once praised Vincent for his business instincts. Apparently those instincts included learning how to silence a frightened employee.
June remembered a vehicle registration and a last name: Calder.
Rafael's team traced it to a security contractor who owned rural properties across three states.
In the hospital, Matteo had begun asking to see photographs of his mother. Angelo gave the boy an album, and together they pointed out the pictures: Sofia at the lake, Sofia making pancakes, Sofia holding newborn Matteo in a rocking chair.
"Did Mama forget me?" Matteo asked.
"No," Angelo answered. "She didn't forget you."
He did not promise when she would return. Instead he promised to keep looking and to tell the boy the truth in words he could understand.
That night, a lead arrived from a small clinic in Vermont. A woman using a different surname had been treated there months earlier. She matched Sofia's description, and the clinic had forwarded a lawful request to contact her.
Before dawn, a woman called Angelo from an unlisted number.
May you like
"Don't tell Vincent," she whispered. "If he knows you found me, he'll come for Matteo."
Angelo recognized Sofia's voice.
