Chapter 4 - THE JUDGE IN THE RED BOOK
Judge Malcolm Vane had built his reputation as a strict defender of law and order.
He also appeared in my father’s ledger beside twenty years of secret payments.
His original bribes came from Gerald Cole.
The newest transfer came from Derek.
Vane released my husband less than six hours after the arrest.
The conditions were minimal.
Derek could not contact me directly.
He was allowed to return to the apartment to collect personal property.
He was also allowed to continue working.
Detective Ruiz was furious.
Vincent was quieter.
That quiet unsettled everyone.
“You will not go near him,” I said.
Vincent looked at me.
“I did not say I would.”
“You did not have to.”
He leaned against the wall.
“What do you believe I am going to do?”
“What everyone says you do.”
“And what is that?”
“Make people disappear.”
Vincent’s expression did not change.
“Sometimes reputations prevent violence.”
“Sometimes they hide it.”
“That is true.”
He did not defend himself.
“I will not kill Derek.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“Because you asked me to save you.”
“Not own the outcome.”
The answer stayed with me.
Ruiz arranged emergency shelter through a protected apartment.
Vincent offered one of his properties.
I refused.
I did not want to leave one controlling man and become dependent on another.
He accepted that immediately.
The city shelter provided a confidential location.
My employer granted leave.
A hospital advocate helped me request a protective order.
Derek’s attorney responded by accusing me of attacking him first.
Photographs showed scratches along his neck.
The marks came from my nails when he broke my arm.
His filing described them as evidence of mutual violence.
He also claimed I stole confidential financial information from his family.
The red ledger had become his defense.
He suggested I married him to gather evidence for Vincent Moretti.
The story was absurd.
It was also dramatic enough for reporters.
By evening, my photograph appeared online.
BROKEN WAITRESS OR MOB INFORMANT?
Commentators questioned why Vincent had arrived so quickly.
They questioned why I carried his card.
They questioned whether my injuries were staged.
No one asked why Derek had purchased life insurance.
Gerald Cole appeared on television beside his son.
He described Derek as gentle.
He called me unstable.
He claimed the Moretti organization threatened his family because they refused to pay extortion money.
Vincent watched the interview from Ruiz’s office.
“Gerald knows the ledger is open.”
Ruiz nodded.
“He will destroy records.”
“He will destroy people.”
The detective looked at him.
“Are you offering law enforcement information?”
“I am offering Lena information.”
I sat across from him.
“What do you know about Gerald?”
Vincent explained that the Cole financial empire began with stolen Moretti funds.
Gerald used the money to purchase distressed apartment buildings.
He forced tenants out.
He bribed inspectors.
He later created a respectable investment firm.
Derek inherited the network.
My father had documented everything.
“Why did your family never expose them?”
“My father believed public trials would reveal our crimes too.”
“So he protected himself.”
“Yes.”
Vincent looked directly at me.
“My family’s silence helped create Derek’s power.”
The admission surprised Ruiz.
It surprised me more.
Men like Derek always described themselves as victims of worse men.
Vincent refused to use his enemies as proof of innocence.
My phone vibrated.
The call came from the diner.
My manager sounded frightened.
“Lena, someone broke in.”
“Was anything taken?”
“Only the security recordings from the night you met Moretti.”
Derek was searching for proof that Vincent recognized me before our marriage.
He wanted to build a conspiracy story.
Then my manager lowered her voice.
May you like
“There is a woman here.”
“She says her name is Rosa Bellini.”
