Chapter 18 - THE VAULT OF FORGOTTEN SECRETSDominic's father survived the night.
Doctors explained that his condition remained fragile, but the medical treatment had stabilized him.
Dominic refused to leave the hospital.
Elena brought him coffee and a clean shirt.
"You should rest," she said.
"I've rested enough for twelve years."
She sat beside him.
"Your father wants you to live, Dominic. Not spend every minute chasing the people who hurt him."
He looked at her.
"How do you always know what to say?"
"I don't. I just know what it's like to lose someone and wish you had one more chance."
Dominic thought of her parents and the years she had spent raising Noah.
He reached for her hand.
"Thank you for staying."
She smiled faintly.
The following morning, Daniel arrived with information about the vault.
It was located beneath an old commercial building that had once belonged to Dominic's grandfather.
The property was now owned by a charitable foundation, but the original underground rooms had never been renovated.
Dominic, Daniel, and a team of officers arrived with the brass key.
The vault door was hidden behind a concrete wall in the basement.
The key fit.
Inside were metal cabinets, boxes of documents, and several old recording devices.
Dominic opened the first cabinet.
It contained financial ledgers dating back twenty years.
The second contained correspondence between Anthony and Raymond.
The third contained medical records.
Daniel examined them.
"These are original hospital documents."
Dominic picked up a file bearing his father's name.
Inside was the complete account of the night he had been attacked.
A security employee had been paid to disable the hospital's cameras. An ambulance had been redirected. Medical staff had received instructions to report a death that had never occurred.
There was also a recording.
Dominic pressed play.
Anthony's voice emerged.
"Once Isabella is gone, Dominic will have nobody left to question the accounts."
Raymond answered.
"And the boy?"
"He's too young to understand. By the time he does, the money will be ours."
Another voice entered the conversation.
Adrian.
"Then what happens to me?"
Anthony laughed.
"You get everything eventually."
Dominic stopped the recording.
Daniel looked at him.
"That's strong evidence."
But the final cabinet contained something more disturbing.
A stack of photographs showed Anthony meeting several officials, including a former police supervisor.
One photograph showed Michael Reeves handing Raymond a document.
Dominic recognized the signature.
It was the original death certificate of Isabella Moretti.
The certificate had been forged.
But another document revealed something unexpected.
Isabella had been declared dead because Anthony had arranged to use her identity to register several companies.
Her name had become the foundation of the financial conspiracy.
Dominic contacted the prosecutors.
They began preparing charges against everyone connected to the operation.
Then Daniel found a handwritten notebook.
It belonged to Adrian.
The final pages contained a list of payments, dates, and meeting locations.
One entry was circled.
FRIDAY — MIDNIGHT — OLD MORETTI ESTATE. FINAL TRANSFER.
Another note had been written beneath it.
Father says Dominic will never leave the building alive.
Dominic looked at the date.
Friday was tomorrow.
He contacted the police commander and arranged a coordinated operation.
But before he could leave the vault, his phone rang.
It was Elena.
Her voice sounded frightened.
"Dominic, I need you to come back."
"What's wrong?"
"Someone is here."
"Who?"
She hesitated.
"Adrian."
Dominic's blood ran cold.
"Where's Noah?"
"He's with me."
"Stay inside. Lock the door."
Then Elena whispered something that made his heart stop.
"Adrian says he knows where your father hid the original hospital register."
A pause.
"And he says he brought proof that your uncle didn't order the murder."
Dominic stared at the recording device.
May you like
If Anthony hadn't ordered the attack, then someone else had.
Someone who had been standing behind him for twelve years.
