Chapter 10 - The Attorney's Empty House
Graham Bennett's townhouse was empty.
Not recently empty.
Prepared empty.
Closets cleared. Desk drawers stripped. Hard drives gone. Refrigerator unplugged.
He had left before we found the first device.
"He knew we'd connect this to him," Marco said.
"Or he wanted us to."
Luca looked at me. "You still think he's being framed?"
"I think anyone smart enough to live inside my walls for weeks is smart enough to leave obvious evidence on purpose."
We searched anyway.
Behind a false panel in Bennett's study, we found a safe.
Inside were copies of Moretti trust documents, insurance policies, and one sealed envelope addressed to me.
My name was written in Bianca's handwriting.
My hands stopped working for a second.
Marco quietly cleared the room.
I opened it alone.
Adrien,
If you are reading this, then I was right to be afraid.
I found something in the foundation books. Graham knows. I made the mistake of asking him for help before I understood his part in it.
There are transfers hidden under medical donations. They are not donations. Someone is moving money through Northstar Biomedical and using your signature.
I think your father knew part of it. I don't know how much.
Do not confront Graham without proof.
And if anything happens to me, protect the children from anyone who talks about "stability" or "the trust." Those words keep appearing together.
I love you. I am sorry I did not tell you sooner.
B.
I read it twice.
Then a third time.
When I came downstairs, Luca was pale.
"What?" I asked.
He handed me his phone.
"I called the bank. Northstar Biomedical still exists."
"Owner?"
"Shell company. But payments route through a trust management account."
"Controlled by Bennett?"
Luca swallowed.
"Co-controlled."
"By who?"
He looked at me.
"My mother."
Aunt Celeste Moretti.
My father's younger sister.
The woman who brought food to my house after Bianca died.
The woman who sat beside the triplets' bassinets and told me family was all that mattered.
The woman who, under our grandfather's trust, became temporary voting trustee if both Luca and I were considered unable to manage the company.
"Where is she?" I asked.
Luca was already dialing.
No answer.
Marco's phone rang next.
He listened for ten seconds.
"Boss, you need to come back now."
"Why?"
"The hidden device turned on again."
"We removed it."
"The nursery device, yes."
Marco's face went hard.
"They found a second one."
I stared at him.
May you like
"Where?"
"Inside the panic room."
