The building had been abandoned for more than a decade.
It had once belonged to the Vitale family.
His father had attended performances there as a young man.
"Why would Isabella leave it there?" Gabriel asked.
Dante examined the handwriting.
"Because nobody would think to look in a place that no longer exists."
Elena looked at him.
"Then that's where we go."
***
The old opera house stood in the northern district.
Its exterior was covered with ivy.
The entrance doors were locked.
Inside, dust covered the red velvet seats.
A broken chandelier hung above the stage.
Dante walked ahead.
Gabriel followed with two men.
Elena remained close.
The building was silent.
Too silent.
They reached the stage.
Dante examined the floorboards.
"Isabella knew this place," he said.
Elena looked around.
"How?"
"My father brought her here."
He stopped near the piano.
A small silver star had been carved into the wooden frame.
Elena touched it.
Beneath the piano was a narrow compartment.
She opened it.
Inside was a black metal box.
Her hands trembled.
Dante knelt beside her.
"Let me."
"No."
She looked at him.
"This belongs to my mother."
He stepped back.
Elena opened the box.
Inside were several documents.
Photographs.
A small cassette recorder.
And a letter addressed to Lorenzo Vitale.
Elena picked it up.
The first line read:
If you are reading this, then I have failed to return.
Dante lowered his head.
His father had never received the letter.
Elena handed it to him.
He read silently.
Then his expression changed.
"What?" Gabriel asked.
Dante looked at the final page.
"Vittorio wasn't acting alone."
He showed them the document.
A signature appeared beneath the agreement.
Alessandro Moretti.
And another name.
Judge Samuel Whitmore.
A man who had recently announced his intention to run for governor.
The same man who had attended the Belladonna Gala.
The same man who had been seated only three tables away from Elena.
Gabriel swore under his breath.
"This is bigger than the families."
Dante nodded.
"It always was."
Then a sound came from the entrance.
A door closing.
Gabriel turned.
"Company."
Several men entered the auditorium.
They wore dark suits.
Their weapons were visible.
At the center stood Alessandro Moretti.
He looked toward Elena.
"Miss Rossi."
Dante stepped in front of her.
"You're getting predictable."
Alessandro smiled.
"And you're becoming sentimental."
He looked at the metal box.
"Give me what belongs to my family."
Elena held it tightly.
"It belongs to my mother."
"Your mother stole it."
"She stole evidence."
Alessandro's expression changed.
"You have no idea what you're holding."
"I know enough."
He looked at Dante.
"Move aside."
"No."
Alessandro sighed.
"I was hoping we could avoid another family tragedy."
Dante stared at him.
"You should have thought of that twenty years ago."
The first gunshot shattered the silence.
***
The sound echoed through the opera house.
Gabriel pushed Elena behind the piano.
Dante moved toward the nearest column.
The men scattered.
Elena covered her ears.
She had never heard gunfire so close.
She had never imagined that a box of old papers could turn a forgotten theater into a battlefield.
Dante shouted her name.
She looked up.
"Stay down!"
Alessandro was moving toward the stage.
His men were advancing.
Gabriel returned fire from behind the seats.
A second shot struck the piano.
Elena flinched.
The metal box slipped from her hands.
It landed beneath the stage.
Dante saw it.
He moved toward her.
"Can you reach the side exit?"
She nodded.
"Take the box."
"What about you?"
"Go."
She crawled beneath the stage.
Her fingers found the metal handle.
Then someone grabbed her ankle.
She screamed.
A man pulled her toward him.
Before he could drag her out, Dante struck him.
The man fell.
Dante reached for Elena.
"Come on."
They moved toward the side corridor.
But Alessandro was waiting.
He stood near the exit.
His weapon pointed toward Dante.
"Put it down."
Dante stopped.
Elena stood behind him.
Alessandro looked at her.
"Your mother made the same mistake."
Elena's voice shook.
"What mistake?"
"Believing that truth protects people."
He moved closer.
"It doesn't. It makes them targets."
Dante slowly lowered his weapon.
"Let her go."
Alessandro laughed.
"You really have become your father."
"Maybe that's not the insult you think it is."
For a moment, Alessandro looked almost offended.
Then his attention shifted toward the box.
"Give it to me."
Elena held it tighter.
"No."
Alessandro looked at her.
"Your mother died because she refused to cooperate."
Dante's expression changed.
Elena froze.
"What did you say?"
Alessandro realized his mistake.
But he continued.
"She was offered a way out."
"By whom?"
He didn't answer.
"Who killed my mother?"
A voice came from behind them.
"Enough."
Vittorio Vitale stepped into the corridor.
He was accompanied by two armed men.
Dante turned.
"Uncle."
Vittorio looked at Elena.
"Give me the box, child."
Elena shook her head.
"Did you kill my mother?"
Vittorio's face remained calm.
"Your mother made a dangerous choice."