Chapter 5 - The Shadow Partner
By 1:00 p.m., the command center inside the Duca estate library had been fully restored, but its purpose had shifted. The physical search for listening devices was complete; the hunt for the mastermind had begun.
Marcus Vance—a fifty-eight-year-old financial titan who lived in a glass mansion in Lake Forest—was currently attending a high-level investment summit at the Drake Hotel downtown.
Matteo sat at the conference table, surrounded by three forensic accountants from Gabriel’s private team. They had spent two hours cross-referencing the mirror drive recovered from Arthur Vance’s briefcase with the ledger entries found in Thomas Carter’s attic notebook.
"It’s a complete roadmap," Matteo reported, tapping a series of financial flowcharts displayed on the screen. "Marcus Vance wasn't just listening to your conversations, Gabriel. He was using the audio files to trade ahead of your corporate decisions."
"How?" Gabriel asked, leaning against the marble fireplace.
"Every time you discussed a private merger, a real estate acquisition, or a board restructuring in your office or the west study, the relay in Guest Room 7 captured it," Matteo explained. "The burst transmission went to a private server controlled by a shell company in the Cayman Islands. Within twenty minutes, Marcus’s automated trading algorithms executed short positions or stock buys that netted his firm over $120 million over the last year."
"And Julian?" Gabriel asked softly.
Matteo’s face grew darker. "Four days before Julian died, the recording caught him telling you that he suspected Marcus was leaking information about Project Blackwood. Julian told you he was going to meet Marcus at the yacht club that Saturday to demand an internal audit."
"And Saturday was the night the boat exploded," Olivia said from her seat near the window. She had returned to the estate with her daughter and mother, who were now housed safely in the private, secure guest wing on the west side of the property.
"The explosion was ruled a propane leak by the Coast Guard," Matteo noted. "But with this timeline... Marcus knew Julian was coming for him. He had forty-eight hours to ensure Julian never made that meeting."
Gabriel stood up slowly. He walked over to the window, staring out at the manicured lawns where Nero was walking alongside Teresa on his afternoon patrol.
"Marcus is scheduled to present the Q4 wealth management report to our executive board tomorrow morning at nine," Gabriel said.
"We can have him picked up outside the Drake Hotel right now," Matteo suggested, his hand resting near his sidearm. "We take him to Lake Forest, put him in the room next to Arthur, and strip his assets before he realizes he’s been exposed."
"No," Gabriel said quietly.
Matteo frowned. "Gabriel, he’s dangerous. If he realizes Arthur has been taken, he’ll trigger his contingency plans and run."
"He won't realize Arthur has been taken," Gabriel said, turning around. "Arthur’s mother’s house was secured quietly. Arthur’s shop in Cicero is being monitored by our team. To Marcus, today is just another Thursday."
Gabriel looked at Olivia.
"Mrs. Carter," Gabriel said.
"Yes, Mr. Duca?"
"Your late husband was an honest man," Gabriel said. "He recorded those entries in his notebook because he knew something was deeply wrong at Apex Holdings, but he died before he could bring it to light."
"He had a heart attack," Olivia said, her voice dropping softly.
"Did he?" Gabriel asked.
Olivia froze. "What do you mean?"
Matteo looked up from his console. "Gabriel..."
"Thomas Carter died suddenly at thirty-four years old," Gabriel said, looking directly at Olivia. "One week after writing those entries about Marcus Vance and Project Blackwood. No autopsy was performed because the local coroner ruled it natural causes based on a pre-existing minor heart murmur."
Olivia felt the room tilt slightly around her. "You think... you think Marcus killed Thomas too?"
"I think Marcus Vance is a predator who removes obstacles quietly," Gabriel said. "And tomorrow morning, he is going to walk into my boardroom believing he still owns the shadows."
May you like
He stepped up to Olivia, looking down at her with a solemn, absolute promise in his dark eyes.
"Tomorrow morning, Mrs. Carter, you will be sitting in that boardroom beside me," Gabriel said. "You are going to hold your husband’s notebook. And you are going to watch Marcus Vance realize that the widow of the man he destroyed has come to collect the debt."
