Hidden Heart (37 page)

“
It’s me, Officer Borcea.
Sorry, to disturb you, is this a bad time?’

“
No, absolutely not. I’m
glad you called. Do you have news for me?”

The man cleared his throat,
followed by, “Ms. Cosma, I think I found your biological
father.”

Tessa’s heart skipped a
beat. “You did?”

“
Yes. I talked with him a
few times and today we met for the first time. I told him you’re
looking for him and why and he gave me a phone number and an
address for you. He said he’d like to meet you.”

“
Let me grab a pen and
paper, Officer Borcea,” Tessa said, hurrying to her office. “Ready.
Give me the address,” she continued. Her hands shook and became
sweaty at the same time, but she was able to scribble down the
address and the phone number.

“
Did he say anything
else?”

“
Only that this revelation
shocked him.”

“
Great. Thanks, Officer
Borcea, you’ve been so kind to help me find him. I owe you more
money; let me know when and where you want to meet me.”

“
I leave town tomorrow, but
will be back in a week. Let me call you then and make arrangements.
Good luck with your father.”

“
Thank you, talk to you
soon.”

When she hung up, Tessa’s
hands shook so badly she dropped the phone. Her biological father
wanted to see her. What was she going to tell him? What was he
going to tell her that she didn’t already know? Was he going to
like her? Were they going to connect? How would he look?

Tessa felt nervous and
distracted. She turned on the TV and flipped through the channels;
maybe a good movie would help her relax. Nothing really caught her
attention. She picked up the newspaper and sat on the sofa, the TV
still on.

“
Police had to intervene
in an incident caused by a dozen farmers down in Otopeni City. The
city’s mayor, Mr. Neculai requested the help of bodyguards and
police officers to escape the fury of the farmers who claimed the
mayor’s daughter had stolen money from them during a land
transaction. The mayor’s daughter was the former notary in Otopeni
and our channel reported her missing last year. Her body was
discovered by children playing near a…”

Tessa recognized several of
the farmers shown on TV, handcuffed and shoved in police cars. Then
she recognized the notary’s photo and Daniel’s words exploded into
her head like grenades, “
I made her pay.
Like I’ll make you pay…I gave her a lesson, like I’ll give
you.”

She grabbed the phone and
called Victor’s direct line. “Victor, did the farmers ever get back
what the notary stole from them?”

“
No, not a cent.
Why?”

“
I just watched the news on
TV and it said that the mayor had been attacked by several farmers
angry with him because of what his daughter had done.”

Victor sighed. “We’re
stuck. Unfortunately the mayor had blackmailed everyone in the
court and the accounts are still blocked.”

“
Why didn’t you say
something? I’ve been back for so many months, but you haven’t said
anything, and I thought everything was cleared by now.”

“
Yeah, right. Like you
don’t know where we live; when have you seen our judicial system
doing what’s right? And besides, I didn’t want to burden
you…”

“
Victor!” Tessa almost
yelled at him, but she realized in an instant that Victor had tried
to protect her. She closed her eyes, breathed deeply several times,
then said, “You’re right… thanks for watching out for me. But we
can’t let this go unresolved. We…
I
have an obligation towards the farmers. I have to
convince the notary’s father somehow to give back what his daughter
stole.”

“
And how are you planning
to do this? Are you going to knock on his door and show your cute
face and say, your daughter was a thief, give back the money? I bet
he’ll feel remorseful and take you straight to the bank, open the
accounts and pour the money in to your lap.”

“
Victor, seriously. I might
have an idea. I have to go.”

“
Wait, what idea? Don’t I
get to hear your plan?”

“
Nope. And you’re wasting
my time, I have to go now.” Tessa hung up, then dialed another
number.

“
Mr. Popescu, hi, this is
Tessa Cosma, remember me?”

“
What you want?”

“
Mr. Popescu, I’ve seen on
the news what happened with the mayor. I need your help,” Tessa
said and crossed her fingers, hoping he’d agree.

“
Too bad. We needed your
help, too, and you didn’t do anything for us. Why would I want to
help you?”

“
Because I might be able to
help you after all… I need to find where the mayor lives. Since
Otopeni is such a small community and you know everyone, I thought
you might direct me to his residence.”

“
Of course I know where he
lives; everyone knows. But it’ll be impossible for you to get close
to him. He has an army of bodyguards around and his office swarms
with police and dogs. No one gets close.”

“
Mr. Popescu, I need to
try. All I need is for you to direct me to his house.
Please?”

A long pause and silence
followed while Tessa gathered her stuff and was ready to be out the
door within minutes.

“
Fine, then. When do you
want to go?”

“
How about in thirty
minutes? I’ll meet you where the notary’s office used to
be.”

“
I’m here to see mayor
Neculai, please,” Tessa said, speaking loudly in to the intercom.
Mr. Popescu sat quietly next to her.

She kept the car idling in
front of the double wooden gates dividing the mayor’s residence
from the rest of the neighborhood. Ten minutes later, she watched
the security guard coming through the side door, approaching the
car, two Rottweilers yanking at their collars in front of him. She
opened her window when the guard knocked.

“
The mayor doesn’t permit
strangers on his property. You’ll have to make an appointment with
his secretary. He’ll see you in his office.”

The guard turned to
leave.

“
Sir, wait. I need to see
him privately.”

The guard returned to
Tessa’s car, his jaw clenched, and a look of steel on his
face.

“
Miss, you have to
understand. He is not going to see you here. You have to leave, or
one of the officers will escort you. You might get fined for
trespassing,” the guard said, his voice sounding
annoyed.

Tessa got out of the car.
She didn’t even flinch when the dogs barked and beat the air with
their front paws, threatening to rip her to shreds. She stood her
ground, looking the guard straight in the eyes, until he averted
his gaze. He commanded the dogs to sit, in a voice that made Tessa
feel a chill down her spine. They obeyed instantly.

“
Sir, I have information
about his daughter. Please give him my message. If he sends you
back, I promise I’ll leave. But, please give him my
message.”

The guard looked her over,
from head to toe, then turned around and disappeared through the
same side door he came.

“
Those dogs could’ve killed
you, Ms. Cosma; I can’t believe you’re so courageous,” Mr. Popescu
said when Tessa got back inside the car. “Are you sure you want to
enter his property?”

“
Yes, I do,” Tessa
responded, gripping the steering wheel and holding on tight. She
felt sick rather than courageous. She couldn’t imagine what
would’ve happened to her if the Rottweilers escaped the guard’s
hold—she’d probably suffer irreversible wounds. She shrugged and
pushed the thought to the back of her mind—no need to wonder
what if
right now. More
important matters needed her full attention.

The gates opened and the
same guard that came out earlier walked in front of her car,
directing her up the alley to the massive entrance.

“
The mayor is waiting for
you,” he said when Tessa stopped the car and walked up to him, Mr.
Popescu right behind her.

Tessa went up the stone
stairs and entered into what looked, to her, like a palace. Tall
crystal chandeliers spread a bright light, making the hallway look
even larger. A huge, ornate flower arrangement sat in the middle of
a round table, a spiral wooden staircase was to the right of the
hall and a room that appeared to be a living room was on the
opposite side.

A woman completely dressed
in black hurried down the stairs, franticly wringing her hands. “I
knew there was someone who knows something about my girl, I knew
it!” she said. When she reached the floor she took a big step
towards Tessa, almost knocking her off her feet. Her eyes looked
feverish, making her chalk-white face that much more ghostly
looking. “What do you know, tell me what you know?” she said
grabbing Tessa’s arms and shaking them.

A man Tessa recognized from
the TV report as the mayor approached them, peeled the woman’s
palms off Tessa and said calmly, “Dear, be patient; she’ll tell if
you let her.”

The mayor put his arm
around the woman’s shoulders and motioned towards Tessa and Mr.
Popescu to follow them. Once in the living room, he helped his wife
sit on the couch, then faced Tessa and said, “My wife has been
different since our daughter passed away, I hope she didn’t scare
you. The medication wears off for a while; then she becomes
irrational. Please sit.” He too sat, then said, “I was told you
have information about our daughter.”

Tessa looked at both of
them; two lonely old parents, two people whose life had been
forever destroyed by greed and violence. Nothing and no one would
ever eliminate their grief. The woman held her palms in prayer,
rocking in place, her eyes darting between Tessa and the farmer.
The mayor kept a rigid posture, gaze impenetrable.

“
Sir, I believe I know who
killed your daughter,” Tessa said, emotions shaking her voice. Her
words raked the back of her throat. “But before I can tell you who
did it, I need you to promise me, you’ll allow the bank to return
the money back to the farmers.”

The mayor shot to his feet,
fists clenched to his side. “How dare you come into my house,
dangling a carrot in front of me and ask such nonsense! My daughter
didn’t steal anything from anyone! Prove it, if you can.” He
pointed a finger at Mr. Popescu and said, “You, and the rest of you
farmers, make my life miserable with this accusation; I’m sick of
all of you!”

Tessa reached into her
purse and pulled out two pieces of paper and handed them to the
mayor. He hesitated to take them.

“
You ask for proof of her
illegal activity; these are copies of contracts for the same
person, only different amounts. Mr. Popescu here can confirm for
you receiving a certain amount from me and handing part of it to
your daughter while she notarized the contract.”

The farmer
nodded.

The mayor took the
documents, looked them over then said, “How do I know this is not
fabricated by you, a defamation conspiracy against my
daughter?”

Tessa sat composed, her
shoulders straight, her hands steady. A peaceful feeling came over
her when she spoke with a candid voice, “What would I gain lying to
you, sir? You have here two people telling you the truth. If you’ll
listen to the other farmers you’ll hear the same story. There is a
lot of money in your daughter’s account that belongs to others and
not to her.”

The mayor seemed to ponder
her words, then slumped on the sofa, next to his wife. He rested
his elbows on his knees and looked sideways at his wife, then back
at Tessa. He pushed a hand through his completely white hair, a
pained look on his face.

“
Suppose I agree to this.
How do I know how much money goes to whom?”

“
We’ll work together,
calling in each farmer and ask how much money they gave away.
You’ll have to trust them,” Tessa said.

“
And how do I know you’re
telling me the truth about my daughter’s killer?”

Tessa pulled out of her
purse a brown envelope and placed its content on the coffee table
in front of the mayor.

“
Because the same person
who did
this
to me
told me he gave your daughter the same lesson. Only I was lucky and
survived. This is me in the intensive care unit hours after the
attack. He raped me and left me to die. A friend found me,
otherwise I would probably not be here.”

The mayor’s mouth fell
agape; he lifted each photo with shaky hands, then placed them back
down. He looked at Tessa, then back at the photos. His wife stopped
rocking and covered her mouth with both hands; a soft cry shook her
shoulders, her head shaking in denial.

“
My baby, my poor baby,
what she had to go through,” she said against her palms. Her
husband embraced her, caressing her wrinkled cheek.

“
Did he get caught?” the
mayor asked, his face flushed with fury.

“
He had an accident.
Unfortunately he didn’t survive to face his trial.”

Tessa gathered the photos,
then stood. Mr. Popescu followed suit. He stared at her with wide
eyes, unable to say a word.