Chapter 7 - THE LOCKER HIS MOTHER NEVER OPENED
Union Station was crowded when Dante and Alessia arrived the following morning.
Commuters hurried past carrying suitcases and coffee cups.
Nobody paid attention to the tall man in the dark suit or the young woman walking beside him.
Dante had arranged for his attorney and a licensed investigator to meet them.
The brass key belonged to an old private storage facility that had operated near the station for decades.
Its records confirmed a locker registered to Bianca Moretti.
Number 317.
Alessia stared at the registration card.
"Your mother paid for this?"
Dante nodded.
"Apparently."
The facility manager led them down a narrow corridor.
Locker 317 stood at the far end.
Its metal door was scratched.
Dante inserted the key.
The lock turned.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then he opened it.
Inside sat a single black leather briefcase.
A red ribbon had been tied around the handle.
Alessia's heart pounded.
Dante carefully placed the briefcase on a table.
His attorney documented the contents before anything was removed.
Inside lay several envelopes, a flash drive, and a thick red folder.
Dante stared.
"The folder."
Alessia nodded.
"The one Bellini took from the safe?"
Dante opened it.
The first pages contained financial statements.
Transfers between companies.
Hidden accounts.
Property purchases.
Then a series of handwritten notes appeared.
Bianca Moretti's handwriting.
Dante began reading.
Lorenzo has been moving money through Salvatore's companies without authorization.
Salvatore discovered the discrepancies.
He plans to confront Lorenzo and contact investigators.
Alessia watched Dante's face change.
He turned another page.
A photograph slipped out.
It showed Lorenzo Bellini standing outside a warehouse beside a man in a white doctor's coat.
On the back, Bianca had written:
Dr. Victor Hale.
Dante frowned.
"That's the physician who signed my father's death certificate."
Alessia felt cold.
They examined the remaining pages.
Several payments had been sent to a private medical practice controlled by Dr. Hale.
The first payment occurred two days after Salvatore's death.
The second came a month later.
The third appeared under a false company name.
Dante looked at his attorney.
"Can we trace these?"
She nodded.
"We can refer the records to the appropriate investigators."
Then Alessia noticed a small envelope tucked behind the folder.
It was addressed to Dante.
He opened it.
Inside was a letter from Bianca.
My son,
If you've found this, the truth has finally reached you.
Your father trusted Lorenzo.
That trust cost him everything.
I tried to expose what happened, but Lorenzo discovered I was collecting evidence.
If I disappear, look after Rosa Romano and her daughter. They helped me when nobody else would.
Dante stopped reading.
His hands trembled.
Alessia gently touched his arm.
"Are you okay?"
He shook his head.
"No."
For the first time, the man everyone feared allowed himself to look devastated.
Then he turned the final page.
A second photograph appeared.
It showed Bianca Moretti lying in a hospital bed.
Beside her stood Dr. Victor Hale.
And on the back was a date.
Three days after her official death.
Dante stared at it.
May you like
Then whispered:
"My mother was alive."
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