BURN

Veronica
Arson.
Somebody had deliberately set the fire that destroyed Kingston Winery.
Two weeks had passed, and the information Stefan had received from his source was confirmed by the official investigator. My grandfather had arrived the day following the incident. He hadn’t brought Lina with him. I hadn’t seen him yet, although I would later today. I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to look at him, knowing what Lina had told me. What she’d found. Evidence of what Stefan had told me about Grandfather’s transfers of money. More than that, more information that would leave the business vulnerable if it ever got out.
I didn’t tell Stefan what Lina told me. He took good care of me while I recovered, spending time with me during the day, having dinners in my room sitting beside me on the bed. When he touched me, it was tenderly, but nothing more than that. Not once did we talk about what had happened at the chapel. It felt like the elephant in the room, but neither of us brought it up. As much as I longed for him to tell me what he’d said in the chapel wasn’t true, I didn’t want to lose the moments I had with him.
Stefan had told me what Lina had told him about my grandfather, that he was the one who’d put a bid on Villa Bellini. That Stefan had almost signed everything over to him.
I didn’t understand. Was this the land Grandfather had said he was buying for me? To keep in my name for when I lost everything? Was he going to steal Stefan’s home right out from under him just as Stefan had stolen half of Kingston Winery from us?
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. It all gave me a headache.
Today, Stefan was going to take me to the winery to see the damage for myself. Then, we had a meeting with Grandfather and his attorneys about the state of things.
At the winery, we drove as far as we were allowed to go, which wasn’t very far, since the investigation wasn’t yet closed. I climbed out of the car with Stefan at my side.
“Oh, my God.”
The damage, it was unbelievable. The lands-all that remained of the bursting, healthy vines were their charred remains. A burned smell still hung in the air, and the house itself was rubble. One wall remained partially standing, and yellow tape cordoned off the area. It was still considered dangerous.
“I remember the smell of our house afterward,” Stefan said.
“I can’t believe this. What a loss. What an incredible loss.”
I shuddered, and I thought for a moment that Stefan raised his arm and hoped he meant to wrap it around me, but then he stuck his hands awkwardly into his pockets.
“Who would do this?” I asked.
“Only one name comes to mind, Veronica.”
“Moriarty.”
He nodded.
“But why? What sense would that make? Wouldn’t he then be better off to set the Armando property on fire?”
“You said your grandfather and Moriarty had some interest in the same property. I wonder if that was my property and Moriarty threatened your grandfather if he didn’t pull his bid.”
“He said that day we had lunch that Moriarty had told him the property he wanted wasn’t in his best interest to buy.”
Stefan looked out over the land but didn’t answer.
I remembered something then. “Wait a minute.” He turned to me. “The manager told my grandfather they’d installed a new security system. Is it possible there would be some video recording of that night? Maybe we could see who did this?”
“The house is destroyed. I can’t imagine anything would have survived the fire. If it had, I’m sure the police would have the evidence by now. I’m sorry, Veronica. No matter what, I never wanted this for you.”
We returned to the car and drove to Siena to meet with two attorneys and my grandfather. The offices were in the center of the touristic city in a building that dated back hundreds of years. We were quickly ushered in. Once inside, I found my grandfather, still proud but looking a little more tired, sitting at the head of a long table. Two men sat on either side of the table, going over paperwork.
They all looked up when we entered. The look my grandfather gave Stefan chilled me.
“Veronica,” he said, standing. “Stefan.”
He barely nodded in Stefan’s direction. He introduced the two attorneys, one of whom was American, the other Italian. They both set their business cards on the table.
Once we sat down, one of the attorneys started talking, going over our options now that the crop was a total loss, as well as the details of the insurance policy.
“But since arson is the cause, everything is… tied up,” my grandfather said.
“Any suspects?” Stefan asked.
“No. Do you know any?” Grandfather countered.
“Grandfather,” I said. Now wasn’t the time.
He closed his mouth and let the attorney continue. Basically, we spent an hour going over the fact that we had nothing, not until the insurance company paid out. Even the house in Philadelphia was in question.
I guess I hadn’t realized the extent of this loss. It had never occurred to me we’d go from having everything to having nothing. I wondered if that had been what had aged my grandfather, because he did look older, his suit a little wrinkled, his hair not quite perfect.
“Gentlemen, would you step outside for a moment, please?” my grandfather said to the attorneys.
What?
Both men nodded, clearly knowing this was coming. They shuffled out of the room. Stefan cleared his throat, his gaze never leaving my grandfather, the suspicion in them evident.
Once the door had closed, Grandfather picked up his briefcase, which he had had alongside him on the floor, and set it on the table. He opened it and took out a large envelope, set the case aside, then looked at us.
“Stefan, you understand forty-five percent of nothing is nothing.”
“The property was insured.”
“Yes, however, with the arson investigation, nothing is clear.”
“Are you saying they can decide not to pay?” I asked.
“Well, it’s a large amount of money, so they’re using whatever they can to hold off on paying.”
“Because it was intentional,” I said, understanding. “They think it was done by someone who would stand to gain by a large insurance payout.”
“Kingston Winery has been a profitable company for a very long time. In recent years, sales have been down, but that was turning around.”
“What do you mean? Was the winery in trouble?” I asked.
“No, not in trouble, but revenues have been steadily declining over the last few years. That’s why I hired the new manager. He has modern ideas.”
“But-”
He held up a hand. “And with those modern ideas came the new security system he’d insisted we install.” Grandfather opened the folder and drew out a stack of papers along with a smaller envelope.
“What is this?” Stefan asked.
“I have a new contract, Stefan.”
“What?” I asked, glancing at Stefan, then back at my grandfather.
“Once the insurance pays out, there is no need to wait until Veronica is twenty-one to collect the funds. As manager of the trust, it will be up to me to pay it out to her, or in this case, to you, sooner.”
“But you said the payout is tied up with the investigation,” I said, realizing where this was going.
“It won’t be forever,” Grandfather said, sliding the paperwork toward Stefan. “A payout. A healthy one.”
I glanced at the paperwork, blinked twice at the number written there.
“It’s potentially more than the shares would have been worth, considering the winery’s decline,” Grandfather said.
Stefan skimmed the first page, then the second and third before setting it aside and waiting for my grandfather to continue.
“Annul the marriage, and the money is yours as soon as the insurance situation is sorted out.”
“What?” I asked, my heart dropping into my belly. I reached a shaking hand under the table to touch Stefan’s, which was remarkably, unsettlingly, steady. He didn’t pull away but took my hand in his.
“You want to buy her back?” Stefan asked, not once looking at me.
“Don’t be crass.”
“Crass? Being crass is at about the very bottom of my list of things I give a shit about right now, old man. What’s in the envelope?”
He pointed to the one my grandfather still held.
“A memory card.”
“And what’s on that memory card?”
“Evidence that it was Moriarty’s men who set the fire.”
“How?” I asked.
“The front gates had cameras installed. His men didn’t realize it. I don’t think Moriarty knew, since the security system was so new. Footage from the house would have been destroyed, but I have them coming and going at the time the fire started.”
“Why haven’t you given it to the police?” I asked.
Stefan sat back in his seat, studying my grandfather.
“Moriarty is very well connected in Italy,” Grandfather said.
“But he’s not above the law.”
“I’m afraid he just might be.”
“But you have proof!”
“And I’m going to use it to buy your freedom, Veronica.” He turned to Stefan. “Sign the contract, and you’ll have the memory card. The man doesn’t scare easily, but I have a feeling you’ll be able to convince him to wipe out your father’s debt and save your property.”
I turned to Stefan. This was what he needed. This would free him. This would give him exactly what he said he wanted at the church. To have this, to have the guarantee that Moriarty couldn’t hurt him or his family anymore.