Chapter 4 - The Fire That Started Everything
The official report said Maria Castellano died when an electrical fire swept through a garment factory thirty years earlier.
Emmett had been four.
He remembered smoke.
Screaming.
And the sound of his mother telling him to run.
But he remembered something else too.
A large man blocking the factory exit.
For years, he'd believed that memory was a child's nightmare.
Now he wasn't so certain.
"My mother was preparing to testify against the factory owners," Emmett told Adeline.
They sat inside his private office overlooking the Ohio River.
Rain battered the windows.
"She knew workers were being forced to sign fraudulent safety reports."
Adeline listened carefully.
"Was Sterling involved?"
"His father owned a controlling interest. Sterling managed the finances."
Emmett opened an old file.
Inside were newspaper clippings.
Photographs.
Insurance records.
And a handwritten statement from Samuel Caruso.
Adeline recognized her father's signature.
"What is this?"
"Your father witnessed the threats against my mother."
She read the statement.
Samuel described a confrontation between Maria Castellano and a factory supervisor.
He also identified a man who had ordered security doors locked during an inspection.
Sterling Dunore.
Adeline looked up.
"Then why wasn't he arrested?"
"Because the statement disappeared before the investigation."
"And Dad?"
"He lost his job. He spent years trying to find anyone willing to reopen the case."
Adeline's chest tightened.
That explained the boxes of old documents her father kept locked in the garage.
The late-night phone calls.
The arguments she overheard when she was a teenager.
He hadn't been obsessed with the past.
He'd been trying to expose a crime.
"How did you find this statement?" she asked.
Emmett looked toward the old watch on his wrist.
"Samuel sent a copy to my grandfather before he died."
Adeline swallowed.
"My father never stopped fighting."
"No."
Emmett's voice softened.
"And neither did you."
For a moment, their eyes met.
Adeline felt something unfamiliar.
Not fear.
Not obligation.
The possibility of being understood.
Then Gio entered.
His expression was serious.
"We have a problem."
Emmett turned.
"What?"
"Sterling Dunore has filed an emergency claim challenging the acquisition."
"On what grounds?"
"He alleges the sale was obtained through fraud."
Emmett almost smiled.
"Interesting accusation coming from him."
Gio didn't smile.
"There's more."
He placed a document on the desk.
The court filing included an affidavit from Denny Kirkwood.
The building's security guard.
Adeline went pale.
"What did Denny say?"
Gio looked at her.
"He claims you stole confidential records under Emmett's instructions."
Her heart stopped.
"And?"
"Sterling is asking the court to preserve your devices and authorize further examination of your activities."
Adeline stared at the document.
Then she noticed the signature at the bottom.
Someone else had supported the accusation.
May you like
Marlene Tibs.
The office manager who had watched Cade attack her and walked away.
