The Road Where Gabriel Died
Chapter 08 - The Road Where Gabriel Died
The mountain road curved around a steep wooded ridge. In winter, snow collected against the guardrails and turned the asphalt into a dangerous strip of black ice. Gabriel's car had left that road at 6:12 on a March morning.
Official investigators had concluded that bad weather and loss of control caused the crash. Angelo had accepted the explanation because his son was gone and grief made every alternative unbearable.
Now an independent review reopened questions about the vehicle's service history, Gabriel's recent threats, and reports of people visiting his workshop before the crash.
Rafael stood beside Angelo at an overlook. "The investigators may never be able to prove what caused it," he said.
Angelo nodded. "I know."
"But they'll look."
"That's all Gabriel deserved from the beginning."
They drove to the mechanic who had serviced Gabriel's car. The older man remembered an unusual request for vehicle access shortly before the accident. He had not touched the car himself and couldn't say whether anyone had tampered with it, but he had noted the request because it came from a person associated with Vincent.
The detail joined the growing collection of troubling evidence. It wasn't a conviction or a complete explanation. Angelo resisted turning it into one.
Later, he walked to the small memorial beside the road. Gabriel's photograph had faded in the weather. Someone had left white flowers there the previous month.
"Your son is growing up," Angelo whispered. "He's brave, but he shouldn't have needed to be."
He touched the stone.
"I thought I knew how to keep this family safe. I was wrong."
When he returned to the hospital, Matteo was coloring with a child-life specialist. The drawing showed three airplanes flying under a bright yellow sun.
"One is Daddy's," Matteo explained. "One is Mama's. And one is yours."
Angelo pointed to the smallest. "Which one is yours?"
Matteo smiled shyly. "I get to ride with you."
The old man felt the first flicker of hope he had known in months.
May you like
Then Rafael called with news: Calder's former driver had agreed to talk. He claimed to have transported Sofia to a rural property after her disappearance, and he had kept records showing who requested the trip.
The request had come from Vincent's office.
