Page 24 of Conquer

“Lot of work for something that’s probably nothing,” Adrian said.

I turned to look at him then, but he was busy examining the neat stacks of paper on the desk.

“Maybe, but…” I started, trailed off, suddenly feeling shy. If I shared this with him, he might see me as an overzealous busybody, not an investigator. But if I was right…

I looked at Adrian, and he looked back at me, still expectant but patient. Not cheering me on but not dismissing me either. He was simply giving me an opportunity to speak.

It was an opportunity I decided not to miss.

I leafed through the file, suddenly feeling excited.

“So, you’d agree with me that it’s strange that both Santo Carmelli and Michael Briar disappeared around the same time?” I asked.

“Yes,” Adrian said.

“You know what else is strange?” I asked.

“Tell me,” Adrian responded.

“That no one seems to give a crap about it,” I replied.

I watched his face closely, looking for some hint of reaction, but other than being able to tell that Adrian was thinking about what I’d said, I couldn’t decipher how he was responding to the actual words.

“Continue,” he said, his expression still unreadable.

But I was energized now, and the words began to tumble out fast. “How is that possible? Santo ran his organization with an iron fist. If he were gone, they’d be some reaction, even if it was just the settling of old scores. But there’s only been silence,” I said.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” he asked.

“Ordinarily, I’d say yes, but something’s off about this, Adrian. It’s too quiet. There should be chaos, but everything is humming along, probably going more smoothly than normal, in fact,” I said.

“Which means what?” he asked.

I breathed deep then, acutely aware of this moment. What I was about to say to Adrian was something I’d never even allowed myself to think, knowing it was too out there. But I couldn’t pretend any longer.

I met his eyes.

“So, I wanted to better understand Santo’s business, so I did some snooping,” I said.

“Sam…” Adrian said, his expression now clearly readable and telling me that he didn’t approve of my extracurriculars.

“It was fine,” I said, trying to reassure him. “I didn’t go head-on, just kind of poked around a bit, trying to get a sense of what he owed, how he managed his money, that kind of thing,” I said.

“And what did you find?” Adrian asked.

“Nothing,” I said, looking at him triumphantly.

He quirked a brow.

“Don’t you see! That’s not possible. The money has to go somewhere, and there’s always a trail. Santo left one too, but only to a certain point. After that, it was like the money, the business, didn’t exist, and we both know it did,” I said.

“Meaning?” Adrian said.

I took a deep breath, and then said, “It’s a leap, Adrian, but hear me out. All businesses have structure whether they are legal are not. They have to. Santo managed to hold onto his business for decades, and then suddenly he’s gone and it’s like he never existed?” I shook my head. “No. But… but what if Santo was just one tiny piece in a larger puzzle?”

I paused, and Adrian didn’t speak. I vaguely wondered if I sounded unhinged, but the more I spoke, the more certain I was that I was right.

“I think Santo is dead. No, I know Santo is dead. You know what else I know, or what I’m pretty damn sure of?” I asked.

---