Chapter 2 - The Secret in Daniel's Name|
Dominic DeLuca had worked for the Vitale family for eleven years. He had learned to recognize the difference between a problem that could be solved with money and one that would become worse if someone tried.
Daniel Parker's name belonged to the second category.
Alessandro stared at the tablet.
"Start talking."
Dominic unlocked the screen and brought up an old financial report.
"Three years ago, a company called Harbor Crest Consulting began auditing transactions connected to several restaurant groups in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Bellissimo was one of them."
"And Daniel?"
"He worked for Harbor Crest."
Alessandro's eyes narrowed.
"Doing what?"
"Financial compliance. He was investigating suspicious transfers, false payroll accounts, and investments that didn't appear to exist."
"Why didn't I know about this?"
"Because Harbor Crest wasn't one of our companies. It was an independent firm."
Dominic paused.
"However, some of the money moving through those accounts came from companies connected to our legitimate holdings. Daniel's investigation eventually crossed into territory that affected us."
Alessandro leaned back.
"Did he know who I was?"
"I believe so."
"Did Natalie?"
"No evidence suggests she did."
Alessandro looked out at the wet street.
He remembered Daniel Parker as a polite young man with an easy smile. Natalie had introduced him at a family dinner six years earlier, shortly before she stopped speaking to Alessandro.
Daniel had shaken his hand firmly.
"She's the best thing that's ever happened to me," he had said.
Alessandro had not liked him immediately.
Not because Daniel was rude or dishonest, but because he had asked Natalie to move away from Philadelphia and build a quiet life far from the Vitale family.
Alessandro had called him naive.
Natalie had called her brother controlling.
It was the last argument they had before she left.
"How did Daniel die?" Alessandro asked.
"A car accident outside Wilmington. His vehicle left the road during heavy rain. The report classified it as accidental."
"Was the investigation connected to his work?"
Dominic shook his head.
"I don't know. The financial records show he was scheduled to meet someone the evening he died."
"Who?"
"Anthony Russo."
Alessandro's jaw tightened.
"You're telling me the man who slapped my pregnant sister had a meeting with her dead husband?"
"Two days before the accident."
Alessandro closed the tablet.
"Find the original report. Get every record from Harbor Crest. Quietly."
Dominic nodded.
"And Natalie?"
Alessandro looked toward the apartment building.
"She needs to know enough to protect herself. But we don't hand her a collection of unverified accusations."
The following morning, Natalie woke to the sound of her phone vibrating.
A message from Margaret Ellis.
I'm home. The doctor says I need to rest. Thank you for standing up for me. Please don't let that awful man ruin your life.
Natalie smiled sadly.
She had been worried about Margaret all night.
Then another message appeared.
It was from an unknown number.
You should not have taken the notebook.
Natalie's smile vanished.
She stared at the screen.
She had not told anyone about the notebook.
Not even Daniel's sister, who had helped her move after his death.
The notebook was hidden inside an old shoebox beneath her bed. It contained photographs of schedules, payroll discrepancies, and copies of receipts she had collected over several months.
Natalie had begun documenting the missing tips after Margaret told her that her paycheck had been short three times.
At first, she thought it was a clerical mistake.
Then she noticed the same deductions on other employees' pay statements.
When she asked the payroll manager about them, he told her to stop asking questions.
A week later, her locker had been searched.
Natalie had taken the notebook home.
She had never mentioned it again.
Now someone knew.
Her hand moved instinctively to her belly.
"Okay," she whispered. "We need to be careful."
A second message arrived.
Give it back. Your husband should have done the same.
Natalie's blood ran cold.
She called the number.
It went directly to voicemail.
Then she called Margaret.
No answer.
She tried again.
Still nothing.
A knock sounded at the door.
Natalie froze.
Three quiet knocks.
She approached slowly and looked through the peephole.
Alessandro stood outside.
She opened the door only a few inches.
"What do you want?"
"I need to ask you something about Daniel."
Her heart began pounding.
"What about him?"
Alessandro glanced at the phone in her hand.
"Have you received any strange messages?"
Natalie stared at him.
"How do you know?"
His expression changed.
"Because someone else has been asking questions about your husband's investigation."
Natalie stepped back.
"Investigation?"
Alessandro looked directly at her.
"Your husband was investigating Anthony Russo before he died."
For several seconds, she couldn't speak.
Then she whispered the question that had haunted her since Daniel's funeral.
"Are you saying his death wasn't an accident?"
May you like
Alessandro did not answer immediately.
And that silence frightened her more than anything he could have said.
