Chapter 7 - THE SECOND SALERNO DEAL
Dominic’s lakefront transaction required one final board approval.
Vincent did not cancel it.
Dominic assumed that meant uncertainty.
Good.
The meeting occurred at Duca Holdings headquarters.
Hannah had no role.
Also good.
She spent the morning registering for classes.
Adults with forensic-accounting degrees handled the criminals.
At 10:08, Dominic presented the sale.
Three properties.
$71 million.
Buyer entities supposedly unrelated.
At 10:17, he signed authorization as managing partner for redevelopment.
At 10:21, one buyer initiated the first deposit.
Monitored.
At 10:23, Vincent placed the beneficial ownership chart on the screen.
Dominic stopped.
The entities traced back to trusts controlled by him.
Then came the Duca Foundation transfers.
$28.4 million.
Same vendor network.
Same pattern as Carlo’s original fraud.
Dominic looked around the room.
Outside counsel.
Auditors.
Detective Moreno.
Federal financial investigators.
“You brought police into Duca business.”
Vincent answered:
“My mother died because people in our world thought crimes became family matters if we closed enough doors.”
Silence.
“I’m done with closed doors.”
Dominic laughed.
“You think Hannah Brooks made you righteous?”
“No.”
Vincent looked at him.
“She reminded me someone can survive our family and still be decent.”
That hurt Dominic more.
Then he asked for counsel.
Smart.
But he had another plan.
One Vincent did not know.
The brass storage key.
Dominic believed Hannah still carried it.
He wanted it because he thought it opened another box containing originals that could tie him directly to the fire.
He was wrong.
The key now sat in police evidence.
Dominic did not know.
May you like
And that ignorance made him dangerous.
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