Chapter 10 - Ghosts of Bellavita|
Rain was pouring in heavy sheets when they burst out into the alley behind the restaurant building. Bellavita was completely dark, surrounded by yellow police tape that fluttered wildly in the cold night wind.
Matteo ducked under the tape, pulling a heavy brass key from his pocket and jamming it into the basement delivery entrance. The lock clicked open with a heavy thud.
They ducked inside, pulling the door shut behind them just as a black SUV screeched to a halt at the end of the alley.
The basement smelled of damp stone, aged oak barrels, and dry rot. Matteo clicked on a small pocket flashlight, casting a narrow beam of yellow light across rows of expensive wine bottles stacked floor to ceiling.
"Where is it?" Elena asked, leaning against a cool brick pillar to catch her breath. "Where is the vault?"
Matteo walked to the very back of the cellar, stopping before a massive, floor-to-ceiling wooden wine rack filled with dusty vintage red wines. He reached out, pointing his light at the bottom row.
"Your mother's recipe," Matteo said, turning to her. "What were the four main ingredients?"
Elena swallowed hard, her mind racing back to the kitchen. "Garlic. White wine. Parsley. Lemon."
"Look at the wine labels," Matteo said.
Elena stepped closer, scanning the faded paper labels on the dusty bottles.
Gavi di Gavi. Vermentino. Pinot Grigio. Limoncello.
The first letters of the estates spelled out a sequence.
"G-V-P-L," Elena whispered.
Matteo grabbed four specific bottles, twisting them in sequence: left, right, right, left.
A heavy mechanical groan echoed behind the wall. The entire wine rack slid backward four inches, then shifted to the right, revealing a narrow, hidden concrete staircase leading down into total darkness.
From upstairs, a heavy crash sounded as the alley door was kicked off its hinges.
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"They're inside," Luca warned, pulling a fresh magazine from his vest.
Matteo looked down into the dark stairwell, then back at Elena. "After you."
