Chapter 8 - THE BODYGUARD
The bodyguard's name was Cole Mercer.
Former military.
Former private contractor.
Currently missing.
Martin Vale claimed he had dismissed him the night before the party for drinking.
"Convenient," I said.
"I didn't hire him to hurt Ethan."
"But you requested Ethan's allergy records."
"For insurance."
"With a forged authorization."
"I didn't know it was forged."
"Who gave it to you?"
"Family office."
"Name."
Then said, "Bianca Russo."
Elena's older sister.
I had not spoken to Bianca in almost a year.
She had never forgiven the Moretti family for how isolated Elena became before her death.
Now Martin was putting her name inside the room.
"I did not request Ethan's medical file."
She threw her phone onto the table.
"Martin has been using my name for months."
Martin went pale.
Bianca opened emails.
Fake addresses.
Fake approvals.
Her signature copied.
"Elena told me somebody was building a file on Ethan before she died."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I tried."
That hurt.
She had called me four days after the funeral.
I remembered rejecting the call because I could not hear Elena's family without breaking.
Bianca's eyes softened for half a second.
"Your father answered the next time."
My father's shadow again.
"What did Elena know?"
"She found payments from Moretti Maritime to a security consulting company."
"Which company?"
"Mercer Strategic."
Cole Mercer's old firm.
"This is ridiculous."
Torres told him to sit.
"The payments were approved by Martin."
That was the moment he became dangerous.
"I approved hundreds of vendors."
"Elena marked this one because the invoices had no work attached."
"Elena was not an auditor."
"No," Bianca said. "She was smarter."
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
A man's voice said, "If you want Cole Mercer alive, come to Pier 19."
The voice continued.
"Bring no police."
May you like
Then Cole Mercer screamed in the background.
And the call ended.
