Chapter 9 - BOX 418
Lakeshore Trust occupied the lower floors of an old stone building near the river.
The records facility required two forms of identification, a registered key, and a witness signature. Robert handled the paperwork while Elena waited in a private room with Mia.
Dante stood outside with Marco.
When the clerk finally brought out the contents of box 418, Elena expected a stack of account statements.
Instead, there were three envelopes, a small flash drive, and a leather notebook.
The first envelope contained copies of transfers from the Moretti shipping companies to a corporation called Northstar Holdings.
The second contained a list of dates and initials.
The third was addressed to Dante.
Elena looked at the letter.
“Should I open it?”
Robert shook his head.
“It is addressed to him.”
Elena called Dante into the room.
He entered and looked at the envelope.
“Your father wrote this?”
“My father kept it.”
Dante opened it carefully.
Dante,
If you are reading this, I was unable to give you the evidence directly. Someone has been diverting money through Northstar Holdings. The transfers were authorized using credentials from the legitimate Moretti companies, but the final beneficiary is hidden.
I believe Victoria Bennett is being used as an intermediary. I do not know whether she understands who she is working for.
There is a second concern. The documents used to accuse Elena of cooperating with federal investigators are not authentic. The signature was copied. The account was created using information taken from her personal records.
Do not let anyone use her as leverage.
Your father.
Dante lowered the page.
Elena felt cold.
“So the evidence against me was fabricated.”
“Yes.”
“By Victoria?”
“Or by whoever was using her.”
The flash drive contained scanned documents, bank transfers, and an audio file. Robert's attorney advised them not to open the files on the facility's computer. He arranged for a forensic specialist to make a secure copy.
The leather notebook contained handwritten entries from Elena's father. Several pages mentioned a man named Adrian Vale.
Dante's expression changed.
“Who is he?” Elena asked.
“My uncle's former business partner. He was removed from the organization years ago.”
“Why?”
“He tried to take control of the shipping operation. My father forced him out.”
Mia leaned forward.
“Could he be behind the money?”
“Possibly.”
Elena looked at the transfer records.
“Victoria is listed as the director of Northstar.”
Dante nodded.
“Which means she had access.”
A sound came from the corridor.
Marco appeared at the door.
“Boss, we have a problem.”
“What?”
“Someone accessed the hotel room. They didn't take anything, but they left a message.”
Elena's pulse jumped.
“What message?”
Marco held out a photograph.
It showed Leo playing in the hotel room, taken through the window from outside.
On the back were five words.
A mother should know when to leave.
Elena's face went white.
Dante took the photograph.
His expression became frighteningly still.
“Get Leo out of the hotel. Now.”
Elena grabbed his arm.
“No one takes my son anywhere without me.”
“I won't separate you.”
“Then don't give orders as if he's yours to move.”
Dante looked at her.
“You're right. Tell me what you want to do.”
Elena took a breath.
“We leave together. Mia comes. Robert comes. We go somewhere secure, and we call the police.”
Dante nodded to Marco.
“Arrange it.”
The group moved through the building's private exit. A black SUV waited at the curb.
As Elena climbed in with Leo, her phone rang.
Victoria.
Elena answered and put it on speaker.
“Hello, little sister,” Victoria said.
“What do you want?”
“The key. The notebook. Everything you found.”
“Why?”
“Because you don't understand what you're holding.”
“Then explain it.”
Victoria laughed softly.
“Your father was not an innocent man, Elena. He helped build the system that made the Morettis rich. When he discovered the money was being moved, he tried to blackmail the wrong person.”
“Who?”
“Adrian Vale.”
Dante looked at Marco.
Victoria continued.
“Adrian has been waiting for those records for years. If you hand them over, he will leave you and your little boy alone.”
“And if I don't?”
“Then you will learn why Dante never married you.”
The line went dead.
Elena looked at Dante.
His face had lost color.
“What does she mean?” Elena asked.
Dante stared out the window.
“Adrian wasn't only after the money.”
“What else?”
“He wanted control of the Moretti family. And he knew you were the one person I would never willingly use as a bargaining chip.”
Elena looked down at Leo.
Her sister had not simply stolen the man she loved.
May you like
She had turned Elena into the weapon that could destroy him.
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