Chapter 7 - THE MAN WHO LOOKED CLEAN
Michael Trent built Gabriel’s legitimate reputation.
Children’s hospitals.
Scholarships.
Food programs.
Neighborhood clinics.
He knew every donor.
Every politician.
Every accountant.
He also knew where the illegal money ended and the charitable money began.
Or where it was supposed to.
When Aaron brought him in, Michael denied being at the hospital.
He said Elena was confused.
She had head trauma.
She was exhausted.
The video resemblance proved nothing.
Then police found a partial print on the disconnected nurse-call panel.
Not enough for an identification.
But a fiber from Michael’s custom overcoat remained beneath the bed rail.
Still circumstantial.
Then the burner phone used by Thomas received one final message after Thomas’s arrest.
S:
Burn everything.
The device sending it briefly connected to Wi-Fi at the Moretti Family Foundation offices.
Michael had been there.
So had six employees.
Not enough.
Gabriel wanted to confront him.
Aaron forbade it.
“You interfere, I remove you from the hospital.”
Gabriel laughed once.
“You can’t.”
Aaron looked toward Daniel’s room.
“Try me.”
Gabriel stopped.
For once, the most powerful thing he could do was nothing.
May you like
That was unfamiliar.
And necessary.
