Chapter 10 - THE TWELVE-MILLION-DOLLAR LIE
My brother had spent years worrying about college tuition.
Now investigators were telling us someone had moved twelve million dollars through accounts opened in his name.
Danny stared at the financial records.
Then looked at me.
Am I in trouble?
My heart broke.
I immediately signed back.
You didn't do anything wrong.
Detective Mitchell explained that the investigation was focused on identity theft and fraudulent financial activity.
Danny's name had apparently been used without his knowledge.
The accounts were opened when he was fourteen.
He'd been a child.
A frightened boy still adjusting to hearing loss.
Someone had chosen his identity precisely because he wasn't expected to discover the fraud.
The thought made me furious.
"Who opened the accounts?" I demanded.
Mitchell answered carefully.
"The records connect them to an administrator associated with Marquette Shipping."
My stomach tightened.
"Dominic?"
"His company."
I looked toward Dad.
He sat quietly beside the window, holding the pocket watch.
He seemed exhausted by the memories.
I didn't press him.
He'd already given us more than I'd dared hope for.
That afternoon, Salvatore requested a meeting.
I hesitated.
For weeks, his family had been connected to every painful discovery.
But he had cooperated with investigators.
And he had helped ensure Danny was safe.
I agreed to speak with him at Rebecca's office.
He arrived with his attorney and a certified ASL interpreter.
When he saw Danny, his expression softened.
How are you? he signed.
Danny smiled faintly.
Confused.
Salvatore nodded.
Me too.
For a moment, they looked like two people sharing an ordinary conversation.
Not a feared mafia boss and a college student.
Just two men who understood what it meant to have others speak around them.
Then Salvatore turned toward me.
Lily, I'm sorry.
I studied him.
For what?
For what my family did to yours.
My throat tightened.
You didn't know everything.
He shook his head.
No. But I inherited the business and trusted people I should have questioned.
I looked down.
He continued.
That doesn't erase my responsibility.
For the first time, I believed he meant it.
Then Salvatore placed a folder on the table.
His attorneys had begun reviewing the family's shipping operations.
Several employees had agreed to cooperate.
Financial records suggested Dominic used legitimate companies to move illegal money.
Some funds had been transferred through fraudulent accounts.
Other transactions were connected to the warehouse explosion.
Salvatore had provided the records to investigators.
"Why?" I asked aloud.
The interpreter translated.
Salvatore signed slowly.
Because your father saved my life.
He paused.
And because I spent fifteen years believing the wrong man was responsible for my father's death.
My eyes filled.
He continued.
I won't protect another lie.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Rebecca asked whether Salvatore had located Dominic.
His expression darkened.
He's disappeared.
My stomach tightened.
"Where?"
We don't know.
Detective Mitchell confirmed authorities were searching for him.
Then Salvatore added something unexpected.
Dominic sent me a message.
I stared.
What message?
He opened his phone.
A single sentence appeared.
THE BENNETT BOY STILL HAS SOMETHING THAT BELONGS TO ME.
Danny went pale.
I grabbed his hand.
Then Salvatore showed us the attachment.
A photograph.
It showed our father sitting in the Michigan garden.
Taken the previous afternoon.
My stomach dropped.
May you like
Dominic knew Dad was alive.
And he knew exactly where to find him.
