Chapter 5 - The Stars Inside the HatDante examined Sophie's detective hat.
It was an ordinary brown felt hat with a crooked ribbon.
At least, that was what he had always believed.
Sophie turned it inside out.
Beneath the lining were five tiny embroidered stars.
Each star had a different number of stitches.
“Mommy made this,” Sophie explained. “Daddy said the stars were special.”
Dante carefully examined the pattern.
The numbers formed a sequence.
Four.
Nine.
Two.
Seven.
One.
Vincent recognized the format.
“Five-digit access code.”
“To what?”
“We need to find out.”
Sophie searched her canvas bag.
Then she produced an old library card.
It belonged to Emily Carter.
On the back was a handwritten locker number.
271.
Dante looked at Vincent.
The number matched the final three digits of the stitched sequence.
The following afternoon, Dante visited the public library where Emily had once volunteered.
A retired librarian remembered her.
“She was always bringing books for the children's reading program,” the woman said. “Very kind. Very nervous toward the end.”
Dante asked about storage lockers.
The librarian led him downstairs.
Locker 271 had remained untouched for years.
Its lock accepted the five-digit code.
Inside was a metal document case.
Dante opened it.
There were photographs, financial records, and a small digital recorder.
He played the first recording.
Emily's voice filled the room.
“If you're hearing this, something has gone wrong.”
Dante closed his eyes.
Emily continued.
“Adrian Moretti is using the medical foundation to move people who know too much about Meridian's financial operations. Some are witnesses. Some are patients whose identities have been changed.”
A pause.
“I tried reporting it. Someone inside law enforcement warned Adrian before investigators arrived.”
The recording crackled.
“I have copies of the original records. But I can't keep them with me.”
Then Emily said something Dante hadn't expected.
“Dante Moretti doesn't know what his brother is doing. I believe that. But I don't know whether he'll believe me.”
The recording ended.
Dante sat motionless.
For five years, a woman had been hiding from an organization connected to his family.
And he had known nothing.
Inside the document case, he found a second envelope.
It contained a photograph of a remote farmhouse.
On the back was an address.
Vincent examined the records.
“These are enough to reopen several federal investigations.”
“Then contact someone outside the local chain of command.”
Dante had one contact he believed could help.
Special Agent Rebecca Shaw.
She had investigated financial crimes involving the Moretti organization for years.
Their relationship had never been friendly.
But Rebecca was known for refusing bribes and resisting political pressure.
Dante contacted her through his attorney.
They met in a public courthouse conference room.
Rebecca listened as Dante described Project Lantern.
She examined the records.
Her expression became increasingly serious.
“Where did you get these?”
“From someone who risked her life collecting them.”
Rebecca looked up.
“Emily Carter?”
Dante froze.
“You know her?”
Rebecca nodded.
“She contacted federal investigators five years ago. Before we could arrange protection, she disappeared.”
“Is she alive?”
Rebecca hesitated.
“We received evidence suggesting she survived the crash. But we never confirmed her location.”
Dante placed the farmhouse photograph on the table.
Rebecca's expression changed.
“Where did you find that?”
“Why?”
“Because that's a former witness-protection safe property.”
Dante leaned forward.
“Was Emily there?”
Rebecca didn't answer immediately.
Then she said, “We need to go.”
That evening, Dante, Rebecca, and a small federal team approached the farmhouse.
The building stood behind a row of maple trees.
No lights showed in the windows.
Rebecca knocked.
No response.
The front door was unlocked.
Inside, the rooms were empty.
But someone had been there recently.
A kettle sat on the stove.
Fresh flowers stood in a glass jar.
On the kitchen table lay a child's drawing.
It showed a little girl wearing a detective hat.
Beneath the picture were four words.
Tell Sophie I'm sorry.
Dante stared at the drawing.
Then Rebecca found a second note beneath it.
They found me. Don't bring Sophie here.
Outside, a vehicle engine started.
Dante rushed to the window.
A dark sedan accelerated away from the property.
He caught only a glimpse of the passenger.
A woman with blonde hair.
May you like
Emily Carter.
Alive.
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