Chapter 6 - Uncle Vittorio
Vittorio Marchetti had not used his real name in nine years.
He used Victor Martel.
Owned a private recovery clinic outside Lake Geneva.
No public connection to the Marchetti family.
The clinic specialized in addiction treatment for executives who wanted privacy.
Its board chair was Arthur Ashford.
Enzo laughed when Marco showed him the filing.
Not because it was funny.
Because sometimes corruption becomes insulting in its laziness.
"They hid him under a different last name and put Arthur on the board?"
Marco said, "They assumed nobody in this family wanted to find him."
That was true.
After Carlo's death, Vittorio and Enzo fought over control of the organization. Vittorio vanished after losing support.
Enzo had considered it a victory.
He never asked where Vittorio went.
Another convenient ending.
Federal agents became involved after Adeline's attorney turned over copies of the red cassette and the medical-fund documents.
Enzo did not object.
That surprised Marco.
"You know what they will look at once they're inside the books."
"Yes."
"Not just Ashford."
"I know."
Enzo ran gambling, protection, and cargo theft operations in his twenties. He had spent the last eight years shrinking the criminal side and moving revenue into legal logistics, but he was not pretending innocence.
Adeline heard part of the conversation.
"You could lose everything," she said.
Enzo looked at her bandaged wrist.
"Your father lost more."
She did not thank him.
Good.
The Lake Geneva clinic was searched under warrant two days later.
Vittorio was gone.
His office was almost empty.
Almost.
Investigators found an old dictation machine in a locked drawer.
Inside was a red microcassette.
The missing tape.
Before anyone played it, Camilla requested a meeting.
She came with two attorneys.
No designer gown.
No riding crop.
Her wrist was bare where Enzo's engagement bracelet had been.
They met in a federal conference room.
Camilla looked at Adeline first.
"I'm sorry."
Adeline said nothing.
Camilla continued.
"I did not know about your father when we first hired you."
"You didn't hire me."
"My family's security people flagged your background."
"When?"
"Day three."
Adeline thought of every insult after that.
Camilla knew by the third day.
"Why hit me?"
Camilla's jaw tightened.
"Because my father told me if I could get you arrested for assault or theft, you would lose access to the house and no one would listen to anything you said afterward."
"And you enjoyed it."
Camilla flinched.
"Yes."
At least she did not hide.
Enzo asked, "Why did Arthur need the foundation after the wedding?"
Camilla looked at him.
"To destroy the original patient claim cards under a lawful retention vote."
"Where are they?"
"I don't know."
"Who does?"
"Vittorio."
Adeline asked, "Why is he alive?"
Camilla laughed bitterly.
"Because men like him are useful until they become expensive."
Then she explained.
Arthur hid Vittorio after Carlo's death because Vittorio knew which judges, clinics, unions, and companies had shared the stolen medical money.
Vittorio kept copies as insurance.
Camilla said the engagement was supposed to secure one final thing.
"Enzo's signature."
He went still.
"On what?"
"A settlement amendment transferring the old medical fund obligations into a new foundation entity."
Enzo understood immediately.
A corporate merger of liabilities.
Old claims could be capped.
Records could be centralized.
Victims would face new procedural barriers.
Arthur wanted Enzo to sign away the past.
Camilla looked at Adeline.
"And your father left one thing they still cannot find."
"What?"
"The patient index. The list that proves which claims were real and which were invented."
Adeline's heart pounded.
"Where is it?"
Camilla shook her head.
"Your mother knew."
Then a federal agent entered carrying the recovered red cassette.
"We digitized it."
He looked at Enzo.
"Mr. Marchetti, you should hear this before you decide how cooperative you want to be."
They played the recording.
Gabriel's voice came first.
Then Vittorio.
Then Arthur.
Finally Carlo Marchetti.
CARLO: Enzo signed the hold order. That does not give you permission to beat him.
Adeline's eyes moved to Enzo.
The tape continued.
VITTORIO: The boy signed what we needed.
CARLO: The boy signs too much.
Enzo closed his eyes.
Then Gabriel said:
GABRIEL: If I die, the index goes to my daughter.
The room went still.
Adeline whispered, "I never had it."
On the recording, her father answered the question fifteen years too late.
GABRIEL: She'll have it when she remembers the song.
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