Chapter 8: What the Investigators Found
The formal investigation took eleven days.
Dr.
Carla Esposito coordinated with the state prosecutor's office, the financial crimes unit, and a private forensic firm that specialized in estate fraud.
Lorenzo gave his statement on the first day.
Sophia gave hers on the second.
Nico gave his on the third, in a session that lasted four hours and left him pale and quiet for the rest of the week.
Renato Fiore cooperated fully in exchange for a reduced charge recommendation.
He confirmed the timeline, the clause manipulation, and the four phone calls to Valentina's shell company.
He surrendered every document in his possession.
He resigned from the bar before the bar could act.
The man in the Florence holding facility — whose name was Cesare Bruni, a former logistics contractor with a history of working adjacent to organized financial schemes — confirmed that he had been hired through the Ricci holding company.
He named a contact.
The contact named Valentina directly.
On the ninth day, Valentina Ricci was formally charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, criminal conspiracy, and one count related to the mountain road incident that the prosecutor's office classified as attempted grievous harm.
Lorenzo heard the news from Carla.
She called while he was in the garden, walking the east path he rarely used, the one that ran along the iron fence where the old roses grew untended.
"They executed the warrant this morning," Carla said.
"Her attorney is already filing motions."
"Let them file."
"The Ricci family's holding company has been frozen pending investigation.
Her father's attorneys are in emergency session."
"Good."
"Lorenzo." A pause.
"It's done.
The fraudulent amendment has been voided.
The original clause has been corrected to match your father's actual instructions.
Nico will receive his equal share on the original ten-year schedule."
Lorenzo stopped walking.
He looked at the old roses along the fence.
They were overgrown and needed cutting back.
Someone had let them go for years.
"And Nico's legal exposure?" he asked.
"Manageable," Carla said.
"He cooperated fully and early.
The prosecutor is recommending a suspended outcome contingent on continued cooperation.
No custodial sentence."
"Make sure he knows."
"I'll call him this afternoon."
Lorenzo ended the call.
He stood in the garden for a while longer.
He thought about his father, who had trusted the wrong man for nineteen years without knowing it.
He thought about Nico, who had trusted the wrong woman for eight months and had almost let that mistake become permanent.
He thought about himself, who had trusted both — and had come home early one afternoon with two dozen white roses and stumbled into the truth by accident.
Or perhaps not entirely by accident.
May you like
Perhaps Lena Bellini had something to do with it.
He went back inside.
