Chapter 20 - ELIAS VISITED HIS BROTHER TO ASK ABOUT A BLUE BOOK DANTE HAD NEVER SEENDante knew Caroline stole something.
He did not know where it went.
“What was it?”
Elias asked through prison glass.
Dante smiled bitterly.
“If I knew, you think Mason would have spent half a night tearing apart her hotel room?”
“What did Caroline call it?”
“She didn’t.”
“What did Wren call it?”
That changed him.
Tiny.
Enough.
“Insurance.”
“For who?”
“Caroline.”
“What was inside?”
Dante looked away.
“I don’t know.”
“Try again.”
“I’m not lying.”
Elias waited.
Dante sighed.
“Wren kept parallel records.”
“Why?”
“Because he didn’t trust clients.”
“You.”
“Especially me.”
“What records?”
“Things official files did not say.”
“Pressure used.”
“Side payments.”
“Who actually signed.”
“Which witnesses had problems.”
“Which documents had been redone.”
Elias felt cold.
“And Caroline got a copy.”
“Part of one.”
“How?”
“I think from Wren’s paralegal.”
“Janice Bell?”
Dante looked surprised.
There.
Confirmation.
“You found Janice.”
“Police found her.”
Dante leaned back.
“Then Malcolm is in trouble.”
“Not yet.”
“He will be.”
Elias disliked pleasure in his brother’s voice.
“This isn’t revenge.”
“It is for me.”
“At least you’re honest.”
Dante laughed.
“I have fewer reasons not to be.”
Elias changed subject.
“Rosie wants to ask you something.”
Dante’s entire face changed.
Not redeemed.
Human.
“What?”
“I’m not delivering it.”
“Then why tell me?”
“Because Adeline may allow supervised correspondence.”
Dante swallowed.
“She’s okay?”
“Yes.”
“School?”
“Not my information to give.”
Dante’s jaw tightened.
Old control.
Still there.
Then it loosened.
Small growth perhaps.
“Fair.”
Elias stood to leave.
Dante tapped glass.
“Elias.”
He stopped.
“Wren has something else.”
“What?”
“A trust.”
“Whose?”
“Rosalind’s.”
Elias sat back down.
“What are you talking about?”
“After she started asking questions, Wren had me sign consent to freeze one of her discretionary charitable accounts.”
“Why would you have authority?”
“Because it was funded through Falcone family partnership.”
“How much?”
“Not much.”
“How much?”
“Six hundred thousand then.”
“Where did it go?”
“Nowhere.”
Elias stared.
Dante continued.
“It was supposed to revert if she died.”
“To whom?”
“Family partnership.”
“Did it?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because Rosalind changed beneficiary before death.”
“To who?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re telling me Wren knows?”
“Yes.”
“Why does it matter?”
Dante looked through glass.
“Because Caroline’s stolen file wasn’t only evidence.”
“It had account instructions.”
“Malcolm has spent six years trying to find out who inherited something he thinks belongs to him.”
Elias frowned.
“Why would he think Rosalind’s money belongs to him?”
Dante shook his head.
“Not the money.”
“The records attached to it.”
May you like
And suddenly the blue book was not merely proof of old crimes.
It might still legally control something that had never been found.
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