Chapter 9 - The Midnight Cargo ManifestDante descended the metal stairs two at a times, his stride long and relentless, with Teresa close behind him. They entered the chilled vault, the air smelling of old paper and sea salt.
Marcus stepped aside, pointing his flashlight toward the display case at the back of the room. Inside rested a silver charm bracelet, a gold signet ring engraved with the Moretti crest, and a laminated boating license bearing the name Rosa Moretti.
Beside the personal items lay a handwritten journal. Dante stepped forward slowly, his hand trembling slightly as he touched the glass. He opened the display case with a key recovered from Vincent Rossi's coat pocket, lifted the journal, and flipped open the weathered pages.
The handwriting was unmistakably Rosa’s.
Entry dated October 14, eight years prior:
“If anyone is reading this, and I do not return from the harbor, Vincent Rossi is responsible. He trapped me on this ship after I discovered his ledger recording the bribes paid to federal officials. He told me my brother Dante would never look for me in the deep slips.”
Dante closed the journal, his eyes burning with an intense, controlled fury. He turned around slowly, walking out of the vault and back onto the main drydock floor where Vincent Rossi was kneeling in defeat.
“You locked her in the ballast hold,” Dante said, his voice terrifyingly quiet.
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Vincent could not raise his head. He stared at the wet concrete, his lips trembling. “She was going to ruin everything... the political appointments, the trust funds... we had to secure the family’s future—”
“You had no family,” Dante interrupted. “You only had greed.”
