Chapter 6 - THE BLUE NOTEBOOKS
The notebooks were found in a storage unit outside Chicago.
There were twelve of them.
Blue covers.
Careful handwriting.
Dates stretching back more than twenty years.
Nicholas's mother, Elena Castellano, had recorded financial transactions in extraordinary detail.
Some entries documented legitimate business operations.
Others revealed payments to intermediaries, unexplained transfers, and suspicious accounts.
Investigators began examining the records.
Nicholas watched the news from his hospital bed.
He looked exhausted.
“It's worse than I thought.”
I adjusted his pillow.
“Then maybe it's time to stop protecting it.”
He looked at me.
“The family?”
“The crimes.”
He was quiet.
Then nodded.
Over the following weeks, Gabriel's position became increasingly unstable.
Several associates distanced themselves.
Financial institutions froze accounts under investigation.
And the family business faced intense scrutiny.
Then Gabriel disappeared.
The news reached us on a Friday morning.
Nicholas stared at the television.
“He's running.”
I looked at him.
“Maybe.”
Nicholas closed his eyes.
“He was my little brother.”
I sat beside him.
“I know.”
His voice broke.
“I used to carry him on my shoulders.”
I swallowed.
“He was scared of thunderstorms,” Nicholas continued. “He'd hide under my bed.”
For the first time, I saw Nicholas not as a feared man or a powerful businessman.
But as an older brother grieving someone who was still alive.
He looked at me.
“Do you think people can change?”
I hesitated.
“I think they can choose differently.”
May you like
He nodded slowly.
“Then I need to start choosing.”
