Chapter 6 - THE SAFE DEPOSIT BOX
Locker seventeen was not in a bank.
It was in the private archive beneath my father's old shipping office.
Carlo had kept records there for thirty years.
Most employees believed the archive held contracts and insurance documents.
Only three people had ever been authorized to enter.
My father.
My mother.
And Victor Salerno.
I arrived with Rocco and an independent forensic accountant named Daniel Reeves.
We documented the access before opening the cabinet.
Inside was a small steel box.
A sealed envelope.
And a flash drive.
The envelope bore my mother's handwriting.
FOR LORENZO, IF I CANNOT SPEAK.
My hands shook.
I opened it.
The letter was dated two days before my father's death.
My son, your father has discovered something terrible.
I swallowed.
Victor Salerno has been moving money through the Crown Trust without proper authorization. He has forged documents and used companies connected to the Russo family.
I stared.
Carlo confronted him. Victor threatened us. We believe someone close to you is helping him.
My chest tightened.
If anything happens, do not trust the documents they ask you to sign.
I read the final line twice.
And remember: the person who smiles at your table may be the one who poisons your home.
I lowered the paper.
Rocco stood beside me.
"Boss?"
I couldn't answer.
Daniel examined the flash drive under proper evidence-handling procedures.
It contained financial records.
Emails.
Scanned signatures.
And video from a private office.
In one recording, Victor Salerno stood beside Vivien Russo.
They were discussing the Crown Trust.
Vivien's voice was unmistakable.
"Lorenzo won't question anything once we're married."
Victor laughed.
"And Isabella?"
Vivien smiled.
"She won't be able to stop us."
I stared at the screen.
Then came the sentence that changed everything.
Victor asked:
"What about Carlo?"
Vivien's expression hardened.
"He's already made his choice."
A pause.
"Now we make ours."
The video ended.
I looked at Rocco.
"Send copies to the investigators."
He nodded.
I stared at the blank screen.
The woman I had planned to marry was connected to the theft of my family's assets.
May you like
But the question remained.
Had she also helped kill my father?
