Chapter 7 - THE THREE TRANSFERS
Gregory had three transactions left.
Marcus called them escape money.
Forensic accountants called them evidence.
The board meeting was scheduled for Monday.
Gregory believed he still had one loyal director inside Castellano Holdings.
He was wrong.
The director had begun cooperating.
At 9:03 a.m., Gregory joined by encrypted video from an unknown location.
Face visible.
Calm.
“Victor.”
Victor sat at the head of the conference table.
“Gregory.”
No anger.
Gregory probably expected more.
“The company needs continuity.”
Victor nearly smiled.
“From you?”
“You're emotional.”
There.
Same method.
Make Victor unstable.
Make Gregory necessary.
Gregory continued:
“Freeze the Delacroix investigation. Release the accounts. I give you the ledgers.”
“You stole originals.”
“Yes.”
“Copies exist.”
A flicker.
He had not known.
Good.
Then the cooperating director introduced the shell-company transfer authorization.
Three subsidiaries.
$17.8 million.
Gregory digitally approved.
Once.
Twice.
Third time.
Forensic monitors captured everything.
Beneficiary ownership connected directly to him.
Victor looked at the screen.
“Thank you.”
Gregory frowned.
“For what?”
“Finishing the audit.”
The conference-room doors opened.
Investigators entered.
On Gregory’s screen, panic finally appeared.
He disconnected.
But the digital signature gave law enforcement current authorization to freeze the receiving bank.
More importantly, metadata narrowed his location.
Industrial property near Annapolis.
Police moved.
Gregory ran.
For six hours.
Then security cameras caught him entering an old Castellano marina office using a maintenance key nobody remembered he possessed.
Victor knew exactly why.
There was an archive cabinet there.
Old personnel files.
Original shipping records.
Gregory believed Paul Delacroix’s duplicate deposition documents might be inside.
He intended to destroy whatever remained.
Victor went with police.
Detective Ortega told him to stay back.
Again.
He listened.
Mostly.
Gregory emerged from the office when he realized he was surrounded.
Rain fell lightly.
For some reason, October had become rain in Victor’s memory forever.
Gregory saw him.
Then laughed.
“Of course you came.”
Victor stood behind the police line.
Gregory’s hands were visible.
“Fourteen years.”
Victor said nothing.
Gregory stepped forward.
An officer ordered him to stop.
He did.
Then looked at Victor.
“You think I wanted the woman and kid dead?”
Victor’s face changed.
Gregory continued:
“I wanted you in that car.”
“That makes it better?”
“No.”
For once Gregory stopped manipulating.
“I needed the audit gone.”
“So you sold my route.”
“Yes.”
“Elena.”
Gregory closed his eyes.
“Wasn't supposed to be in the lead vehicle.”
“Leo?”
“No.”
Victor almost moved toward him.
Stopped.
Hannah’s sentence.
Do not make a child’s death useful.
Gregory whispered:
“I spent twelve years trying to make up for it.”
Victor finally spoke.
“You spent twelve years stealing from me.”
“I kept you alive.”
“You kept yourself necessary.”
That landed.
Gregory’s face hardened.
Then suddenly he moved.
First attack.
Not toward police.
Toward Victor.
He crossed the gap before the nearest officer caught him.
Victor blocked the shove.
Gregory struck his shoulder.
Marcus stepped in.
Police pulled Gregory away.
He twisted loose for half a second.
Second attempt.
This time he lunged again.
Victor caught his forearm.
Marcus locked the other side.
Officers forced Gregory down.
No blood.
No execution.
Cuffs.
Gregory looked up from the wet pavement.
“Do it yourself.”
Victor stared.
“You want me to kill you?”
Gregory smiled bitterly.
“Isn't that what you came for?”
Victor thought of Leo’s coin.
Elena’s grave.
Poppy’s duck pajamas.
Hannah’s accusation.
Evidence.
Then:
“You stood beside me at my son’s grave after selling the road that put him there.”
Gregory’s smile disappeared.
“Dying would be easier than answering for that.”
May you like
Victor stepped back.
Police took Gregory away.
