Chapter 6 - THE DELIVERY TRUCK WITH NO DELIVERY
Z
The blue compass belonged to Northstar Freight Services.
According to its website, it transported restaurant supplies, bottled beverages, and specialty imports throughout New York and neighboring states.
It looked ordinary.
Too ordinary.
The company had a polished website, a public office number, and photographs of smiling drivers standing beside delivery trucks.
But Claire's preliminary review uncovered something unusual.
Northstar had changed ownership three times in six years.
One former manager was connected to Patrick Coleman's business affairs.
Another had worked for a company associated with the Moretti shipping network.
Delia stared at the information.
“So Wade and Adrian are connected?”
“Possibly through business relationships,” Claire said. “That doesn't establish misconduct.”
Delia nodded.
She was learning to respect the difference between a suspicious coincidence and evidence.
“What's the next step?”
“We request the relevant records and determine what can be established.”
Delia sighed.
“I hate waiting.”
Claire almost smiled.
“Most clients do.”
Meanwhile, Adrian Moretti was dealing with a different problem.
His cousin, Victor Moretti, had been pressuring senior managers to support a private arrangement involving Northstar.
Victor was thirty-six, handsome, impatient, and convinced Adrian had become too cautious.
He entered Adrian's office without knocking.
“We need to discuss the Copper Lantern.”
Adrian looked up.
“Why?”
Victor laughed.
“Because apparently you're investigating a bar over thirty-five dollars.”
Adrian closed his laptop.
“I'm investigating a series of inconsistencies involving old business records.”
Victor's smile faded.
“That's not your concern.”
Adrian studied him.
“Why?”
“Because the place is a dump. Let Wade keep it.”
Adrian leaned back.
“Interesting.”
Victor folded his arms.
“What?”
“You seem invested in a business you just called worthless.”
Victor's expression hardened.
“You're turning sentimental because of a waitress.”
Adrian stared at him.
“Her name is Delia.”
Victor laughed.
“Of course it is.”
He stepped closer.
“Listen, cousin. The Moretti family didn't become powerful by digging through old paperwork every time somebody cried about a paycheck.”
Adrian stood.
“And maybe that's why so many people around us believe they can steal without consequence.”
Victor's jaw tightened.
“You're changing.”
Adrian looked toward the window.
“Perhaps.”
Victor walked out without another word.
That evening, Delia received a call from an unfamiliar number.
“Miss Marsh?”
“Yes?”
“My name is Thomas Bell. I used to work for Patrick Coleman.”
Delia sat upright.
“Where?”
“At the Copper Lantern. Years ago.”
Her heart raced.
“Do you know my mother?”
A pause.
“I knew Evelyn very well.”
Delia swallowed.
“What do you want?”
“To tell you something I should have told her before she died.”
She gripped the phone.
“About Wade?”
“Yes.”
Thomas hesitated.
“And about the night someone tried to burn the Copper Lantern down.”
Delia froze.
She had never heard about a fire.
Thomas continued.
“Your mother stopped it. But afterward, everybody acted as though nothing had happened.”
“Why?”
His voice became quiet.
“Because the man who arranged it was connected to people nobody wanted to challenge.”
Delia closed her eyes.
“Who?”
Thomas took a breath.
“Victor Moretti.”
When Delia told Adrian, his expression darkened.
He didn't immediately dismiss the accusation.
But he didn't accept it without evidence either.
“Thomas Bell is willing to speak with an investigator?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Then let your attorney arrange that.”
She studied him.
“It's your cousin.”
“I know.”
“What if it's true?”
Adrian stared toward the city.
“Then he will have to answer for it.”
Delia looked at him.
“Even if that damages your family?”
He paused.
Then answered, “It already has.”
For several seconds, they remained silent.
Then Adrian added something she hadn't expected.
“My father told me that family loyalty was the most important thing in the world.”
Delia looked at him.
“And you believed him?”
“For a long time.”
“What do you believe now?”
He looked toward the old photograph of Evelyn.
“That loyalty without honesty can become another form of cruelty.”
Delia felt something shift inside her.
May you like
She was beginning to understand that the man in front of her carried an empire he hadn't entirely chosen.
And for the first time, he seemed willing to question whether it was worth keeping.
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