Chapter 3 - THE DEAD WOMAN’S VOICE
Dominic used a secure computer that had never been connected to the estate’s network.
Daniel stood behind him.
Mia remained upstairs with Harper and Doctor Russo.
The memory card contained twelve encrypted files.
One opened without a password.
It was an audio recording.
The date was six days before Elena’s death.
For several seconds, there was only static.
Then Elena’s voice filled the private office.
“If Dominic is hearing this, then I failed to tell him myself.”
Dominic gripped the edge of the desk.
He had not heard her voice in five years.
Not clearly.
Not without the distortion of memory.
“I discovered that Nathan has been moving money through the Vale shipping companies.”
“He has created false manifests, duplicate accounts, and offshore identities.”
“He is not stealing from Dominic.”
“He is building something inside Dominic’s organization.”
“A separate network.”
“A second family.”
Daniel looked at Dominic.
Neither man spoke.
Elena continued.
“Claire Bennett is helping him.”
“She is not a stranger.”
“She is Nathan’s half-sister.”
Dominic’s eyes narrowed.
Claire had told him she was raised in Connecticut by two parents who died when she was twenty.
Nathan claimed to have met her through a political fundraiser.
Elena’s recording continued.
“They intend to turn Dominic’s captains against one another.”
“If war begins, Nathan will blame the Moretti family.”
“He believes Dominic will rely on him to survive.”
“He believes loyalty earned during a crisis will make him untouchable.”
The recording ended.
Dominic opened the second file.
This one was a video.
The image showed Elena sitting inside a parked car.
Rain struck the windshield.
Her dark hair was pulled away from her face.
The silver bird pendant rested against her throat.
“Nathan knows I found the accounts,” she said.
“He followed me tonight.”
“I am going to meet Detective Sofia Reyes.”
“If I do not reach her, the remaining files will explain why.”
The camera shifted.
Headlights appeared behind Elena’s car.
Dominic recognized the shape of Nathan’s black sedan.
The video ended abruptly.
A third file contained photographs of shipping manifests.
A fourth contained names of judges, officers, and union officials receiving payments.
A fifth showed Claire meeting Nathan outside a warehouse.
The final file would not open.
It required a password.
Dominic tried Elena’s birthday.
Incorrect.
He tried the date of their wedding.
Incorrect.
Daniel looked toward the closed office door.
“Nathan knew the card existed.”
“He just didn’t know where Elena placed it.”
Dominic removed the memory card.
“That means he searched the car after the crash.”
Daniel’s expression hardened.
“And left her inside.”
The office phone rang.
Only four people had access to that line.
Dominic answered.
Marcus spoke from the front hall.
“Nathan wants to leave.”
“He says you are holding him without cause.”
“He is not leaving.”
“He brought six men from the eastern crew.”
Dominic looked at the security monitor.
Nathan stood in the great hall wearing a dark jacket.
Six armed men waited behind him.
Claire stood near the staircase.
She had changed into a black dress.
No robe.
No tears.
No confusion.
She looked ready to travel.
Dominic placed the memory card inside his watch compartment.
Then he walked into the hall.
Nathan smiled.
“Are we going to discuss this like brothers?”
Dominic stopped ten feet away.
“You locked a woman beneath my house.”
Nathan sighed.
“Mia told you a story.”
“The frightened maid accused the powerful adviser.”
“It is convenient.”
“She knew about Elena’s pendant.”
For the first time, Nathan’s smile weakened.
Claire looked toward him.
It was only a glance.
Dominic saw it.
“You searched the cellar for three days,” Dominic said.
“You hurt Mia because you thought Elena had given her evidence.”
Nathan’s men shifted.
Daniel and Marcus moved closer to Dominic.
The room divided without anyone giving an order.
Nathan lowered his voice.
“You are tired.”
“You have been traveling.”
“You found something horrible, and you need someone to blame.”
Dominic stepped closer.
“I blamed the wrong person for five years.”
Nathan’s eyes became cold.
May you like
The lights went out.
Gunfire exploded from the upper balcony.
