Chapter 3 - The Voice in the Safe
Silvio returned to the estate shortly after midnight.
He left four trusted men outside Ethan and Mia’s hospital rooms.
Lucinda and Grant remained at the hospital under the attention of investigators who had already been called because of the children’s condition.
Silvio entered his father’s old office alone.
Nothing had changed.
Dark walnut shelves covered three walls.
A brass lamp stood on the desk.
Arturo Moretti’s reading glasses were still inside the top drawer exactly where they had been the day he died.
The wall safe was hidden behind a framed photograph of the Moretti Grand Hotel in 1968.
It stood open.
The shelves inside were almost empty.
The trust folders were gone.
The recorder was gone.
But the thief had been in a hurry.
Silvio crouched beside the safe.
A small memory card lay beneath the lower hinge.
He picked it up.
Thirty minutes later, he was inside the estate’s security room.
His technology specialist inserted the card into an isolated computer.
“There are seven audio files.”
“Play the oldest.”
Static filled the speakers.
Then a voice Silvio had not heard in four years came through.
Mateo.
His older brother.
“If you’re hearing this, I either finally stopped being paranoid…”
A pause followed.
“…or I was right.”
Silvio’s throat tightened.
Mateo sounded exhausted.
The recording was dated six weeks before his death.
“I found transfers from the children’s trust.”
Silvio leaned closer.
“Small amounts at first.”
“Then bigger ones.”
“Payments routed through consulting firms tied to Grant Holloway.”
Silvio’s eyes narrowed.
Grant.
Mateo continued.
“Lucinda says she knows nothing about it.”
“I want to believe her.”
“I’m not sure I can.”
The next file was recorded nine days later.
“I confronted Grant.”
“He laughed.”
“He said Dad would never believe me because I’m the irresponsible son.”
“He also said something I can’t stop thinking about.”
Silvio clenched his fists.
Mateo’s voice became quieter.
“He said accidents happen in rich families too.”
The room seemed colder.
The third recording mentioned forged signatures.
The fourth described life insurance policies opened on Ethan and Mia without Mateo’s knowledge.
The fifth made Silvio stop breathing.
“If something happens to me, do not let Lucinda become guardian of the kids.”
Silvio closed his eyes.
Mateo continued.
“I know how that sounds.”
“She’s my sister.”
“But she’s protecting Grant.”
“And every time I get close to proving what he’s doing, something disappears.”
The sixth recording had been made two days before Mateo’s fatal boating accident.
“There’s something wrong with the boat.”
“I told Grant not to touch it.”
“He says I’m imagining things.”
“I’m recording this because I need someone to know.”
Silvio stood abruptly.
Mateo’s boat had exploded near the marina.
Investigators had blamed a fuel-line failure.
Silvio remembered Grant telling everyone Mateo had ignored maintenance.
The final file was only seventeen seconds long.
Wind roared in the background.
Mateo sounded frightened.
“Silvio, if Dad gives you this…”
A loud metallic sound interrupted him.
“…look at the port fuel valve.”
Then another voice appeared faintly behind him.
A man.
Silvio replayed it.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The voice said only five words.
“You should’ve left it alone.”
Silvio knew that voice.
Grant.
His technology specialist looked at him.
“Should I make copies?”
Silvio nodded.
“Make six.”
His phone vibrated.
A text from an unknown number appeared.
DELETE WHAT YOU FOUND.
Silvio stared at it.
Another message arrived.
OR THE NEXT CAR WON’T BE EMPTY WHEN IT BURNS.
Silvio stood.
“They know we found the card.”
“How?”
Silvio turned toward the surveillance screens.
Then he saw something.
One camera feed had frozen.
The hallway outside the security room.
Silvio reached for the door.
May you like
The lights went out.
A second later, glass shattered somewhere behind him.
