Page 63 of Code Name: Dante

I stood at the window for a moment, watching raindrops create ripples on the lake’s surface. Each expanding circle reminded me of how one action, one secret, could affect countless lives. When I turned to face the team, their expressions told me they understood the gravity of what we’d discovered.

“What we’ve learned changes everything,” I began, my voice steady despite the storm of emotions beneath the surface. “The hospital records Alice found, the timing of certain events, the surveillance photos from the compound—it’s all connected.” I pulled up the first image on the main screen. “This photo was taken two days after Lark’s birth.”

“The figure in the window,” Tank said, leaning forward to study it. “Any way to enhance that?”

Alice’s fingers flew across her keyboard. “Already tried. The resolution’s too poor, but the height and build suggest it’s a woman.” She manipulated the image, trying different filters. “See how she’s positioned? She’s watching something specific, not just looking out randomly.”

“Or watching someone,” Grit added quietly.

Tex’s image flickered on the screen as he joined the discussion. “Based on the genetic markers and timeline,” he began, not bothering with any kind of introduction. “I believe Anthony Mazzeo was Lark’s father.” He shuffled through some documents off-screen. “And before you ask, yes, I’m certain. The DNA markers are conclusive.”

I rubbed my temples, wishing I’d thought to grab a cup of tea before starting this meeting. My head throbbed, taking in another piece of the puzzle, another connection to the tangled web of family rivalries that had shaped all our lives. I thought of Lark, of how this news would affect her. Finding out your father was murdered before you were born—how did anyone process that?

“What do we know about him?” Grit asked.

“Killed in July 1998—single knife wound to the stomach.” Tex’s voice was clinical, detached. “Case was never solved, but the method suggests it was personal rather than professional. The angle of entry, the depth—whoever did it was face-to-face with him.”

“Summer would’ve been four months pregnant then,” I said quietly. The timing felt significant—everything about that year did. “Was there any investigation into possible connections with other families?”

“Nothing official.” Tex typed something on his keyboard. “There were rumors that he’d been seeing someone. A woman who disappeared around the same time he was killed.” He paused, his expression troubled. “There’s something else—witnesses reported seeing him arguing with a woman matching Summer’s description a week before his death.”

“Speaking of disappearances,” Alice added, pulling up the document I’d already seen. “As I told Alessandro, if it was Amelia with the woman who was in labor—who we’re assuming was Summer—she might have been pregnant too. Maybe even miscarrying.” She glanced at me apologetically.

“And if she got pregnant again,” Tank finished, “she’d be risking everyone’s lives.” He stood, moving to study the surveillance photos more closely. “The timing lines up. If she was pregnant when she disappeared…”

Her words hit me harder than I expected them to. Had my mother fled not just to protect herself, but an unborn child as well? The thought made my chest tight. All these years, I’d imagined her alone, hiding from Vincent Sr.’s rage. But what if she’d been protecting someone else too?

“There’s more,” Grit said, clearing his throat. “We got the DNA results from the blood evidence at the mine shaft. Neither sample matches Alessandro, Vincent, or Lark. Looks like an unrelated case.” He spread crime-scene photos across the workbench. “But the location is interesting—less than five miles from the compound.”

I pushed away from the window and began pacing the length of the boathouse. The steady rhythm of my footsteps helped order my thoughts. “I’m certain the fourth person in those overheads from the compound is Vincent. The date stamp is right before his arrest.” My jaw clenched at the thought of my brother visiting the compound, then once taken to jail, orchestrating threats against Lark. “The way he moved—it has to be him. No one else carries themselves quite like that. He wasn’t just aware of whoever was living there; he was protecting them.”

“For over twenty-six years,” Blackjack said quietly.

“The offshore bank accounts,” Tank added. “The well-planned deliveries, the security protocols—he made sure they were well taken care of.”

“Whoever helped Amelia disappear did an expert job too,” Tex commented, his image freezing briefly before stabilizing. “Summer Gregory also, if that’s what happened. I’ve never seen trails covered this thoroughly. This outfit really knew exactly how to make people vanish.”

“Could they have worked together? Two women, both with reasons to run, both connected to the same families…” Alice suggested as she pulled up a timeline she’d created. “Look at the pattern—the hospital visit, the surveillance photos, the property transfers. It’s too coordinated to be a coincidence.”

“The question is, if two of the people at the compound are Amelia and Summer, who’s the third?” Blackjack interjected, tapping one of the thermal-imaging readouts.

Images from the surveillance footage flashed through my mind—figures moving in darkness, carefully concealing their identities. Trained. For what? To survive?

“And what about the boats?” Tank added. “The same type spotted here on Canada Lake. That can’t be coincidence, either.”

I stopped pacing and faced the team. “I’m done speculating. I’m going to the compound to find out who’s there.” The decision felt right, like pieces clicking into place. “Whatever’s waiting there, whatever truth we find—it’s time to face it.”

The others exchanged glances, but no one argued. They knew me well enough by now to recognize when my mind was made up. Years of undercover work had taught me to trust my instincts, and right now, my gut screamed that the answers I sought waited at Great Sacandaga Lake.

“We’ll need a plan,” Tank said, already reaching for the property maps. “Security will be tight. My guess is Vincent put serious measures in place before his arrest to keep protecting whoever’s there.”

“We’ve got enough overheads to get a good read on every inch of that compound,” I reminded him. “Every entrance, every blind spot.”

“Roger that,” Tank responded.

“Could I speak with just Alice and Alessandro for a minute?” Tex asked when everyone stood.

The others filed out without question, though I caught the concerned glances they exchanged.

---