Chapter 9 - The Man Daniel Trusted|
Every eye in the room turned toward Dominic.
He did not react immediately.
Then he slowly set down his pen.
"I never met Daniel Parker."
Victor shook his head.
"You may not have met him face-to-face. But he contacted you through Harbor Crest."
Dominic looked at Natalie.
She was staring at him.
"Did you know my husband?"
"No," Dominic replied. "Not personally."
"Then why would he trust you?"
Dominic opened his tablet and searched his archived records.
After several minutes, he found a message from an encrypted business account.
The sender had used the initials D.P.
The message was dated two weeks before Daniel's death.
I have discovered a financial scheme involving Bellissimo and several companies connected to your investment network. I don't know whether you are aware of it. I want to provide evidence to an independent investigator. I will not approach your employer without confirmation that the information will be preserved.
Dominic read it twice.
"I received this," he said. "I forwarded it to the compliance department and requested an independent review. I never knew the sender was Daniel."
Alessandro looked at him.
"Why wasn't I told?"
"Because the message didn't identify the sender, and it concerned financial irregularities. I handled it through the compliance process."
Natalie felt her chest tighten.
"Did anyone answer him?"
Dominic searched.
"An automatic acknowledgment. Then a second message."
He read the next line.
Thank you. I will arrange delivery of the records.
Dominic scrolled further.
There was no record of a meeting.
No confirmation that the documents had arrived.
No response after Daniel's death.
"Someone deleted the rest," Dominic said.
Detective Hayes requested a copy of the correspondence.
Dominic agreed.
Natalie looked at him.
"Why didn't you tell Alessandro about the message?"
"I didn't know the sender's identity. I didn't connect it to Daniel's death."
"But now you do."
"Yes."
She looked away.
For a moment, she felt as if the entire world had been keeping secrets while she grieved.
Daniel had been investigating a scheme. Dominic had received his warning. Anthony had been part of the financial network. And her own brother's legitimate business interests had been involved.
She had been the last person to know.
Alessandro reached toward her hand but stopped before touching it.
"Natalie—"
"Don't."
He withdrew his hand.
"I need you to understand something," she said. "I left your world because I didn't want to live surrounded by people who decided what I could handle. Daniel died, and I spent two years believing I had lost him for no reason. Now I find out there were records, messages, and people who knew more than I did."
Her voice broke.
"I don't know who to trust."
Alessandro looked devastated.
"Then don't trust anyone blindly. Not even me. Verify everything. Ask questions. Have your attorney review every document."
Dominic nodded.
"He's right."
Natalie stared at him.
"Did Daniel leave anything with you?"
Dominic searched the archived correspondence again.
A final attachment appeared.
It was a photograph of a small brass key.
Beneath it, Daniel had written:
The original evidence is not in the storage unit. It is somewhere no one would think to look.
Natalie recognized the key immediately.
It was the same key attached to the blue tag marked 314.
But the photograph showed something else.
The tag had a tiny symbol on its reverse side.
A lighthouse.
Natalie leaned closer.
"That's not a storage key."
Dominic looked at her.
"What is it?"
May you like
She swallowed.
"A key to Daniel's father's old boat shed."
