Chapter 10: What He Rose to His Feet For
The two men came back a third time at nine o'clock that evening.
They came through the service entrance at the back of the building, which told Elias they had done reconnaissance, which told him this was not improvised.
Someone had looked at the building, identified the weaker point, and sent two people who knew what they were doing.
What they had not accounted for was that Elias had been expecting exactly this.
Gabriel had four people inside.
Two in the corridor, one in the stairwell, one in the room adjacent to the study.
Elias was in the study.
The wheelchair was in the corner.
He was standing at the window when he heard the service door open two floors below.
He did not move from the window.
He turned the ring once around his finger and waited.
They made it as far as the hallway outside the study before Gabriel's people stopped them.
There was a brief struggle — a lamp went over, a door frame took damage — and then it was quiet.
Gabriel came in.
"Both secured.
Neither is talking yet, but the one on the left had a phone with a recent call to Carver's number."
"Carver," Elias said.
"Not Ferraro directly."
"Ferraro keeps distance.
That's how he's operated for twenty years."
"Until now." Elias turned from the window.
"Get Ricci on the phone.
Tell her we have two individuals apprehended in the act of unlawful entry, one with documented communication to a person of interest in an active fraud investigation.
Tell her we're prepared to cooperate fully and we'd like to do it tonight."
Gabriel made the call.
Ricci arrived within the hour.
She was a small woman with sharp eyes and the particular manner of someone who had heard every version of every story and was waiting patiently for the one that was actually true.
She reviewed what Gabriel laid out — the forged amendment, the shell company, the phone records, the call logs from the night of the accident, Maeve's testimony, the two men now sitting in a room downstairs.
She asked three questions.
Gabriel answered two of them.
Elias answered the third.
"The name on the trust," she said.
"You're certain."
"I have the document," Elias said.
"My legal team has authenticated the forgery.
The signature is not mine.
The filing attorney has been identified.
His connection to Carver, and through Carver to Ferraro, is documented."
Ricci looked at the papers for a long moment.
"Luca Ferraro has been a difficult man to build a case around," she said.
"He's careful."
"He was careful," Elias said.
"Until he needed to move quickly.
And when careful people move quickly, they make the same mistakes as everyone else."
She looked at him.
"You've been building toward this."
"I've been watching," he said.
"There's a difference."
She picked up the folder.
"I'll need originals."
"They're already prepared."
She stood.
"Mr.
Marchetti.
The two men downstairs — you understand I'll need to take them in."
"Of course."
"And the Ashford matter — Margaret's involvement—"
"Is documented and available.
I've already indicated to Margaret that civil proceedings are the appropriate path, given her cooperation.
I'd ask that you consider that when the time comes."
Ricci looked at him for a moment.
"You're being generous with a woman who helped orchestrate an attempt on your livelihood."
"She was used," he said.
"She was also willing to be used, which is not nothing.
But she gave me what I needed.
That has value."
Ricci nodded once.
"I'll be in touch."
She left.
Gabriel stood in the doorway.
"Ferraro doesn't know yet."
"He will by morning," Elias said.
"Carver will tell him, or the news will.
Either way, it's done." He looked at the wheelchair in the corner.
He walked over to it, folded it, and set it against the wall.
"Call Maeve.
Tell her she can come back."
"She's been asking about you every thirty minutes."
Elias looked at him.
Gabriel almost smiled.
"I'm just reporting what happened."
"Tell her I'm fine.
Tell her it's over." He paused.
"Tell her I'd like to talk to her.
Tonight, if she's willing."
Gabriel sent the message.
May you like
The reply came back in under a minute.
*I'm already in the car.*
