As if they read her mind, someone pounded on the door. “Andiamo,” they shouted.
Enzo just shook his head at Kathleen.Ignore it,he mouthed.
Logan sighed. “It means that Vitale needs the treasure to pay off his debts. If he doesn’t come up with the money soon, the cartels will kill him.”
“And he thinks that the treasure will be worth that much?” Enzo asked.
“That’s what Ronald Wilson was rumored to be worth at the time of his passing. So yeah, Vitale is hoping that the treasure will save his ass.”
Enzo’s eyes narrowed, but Kathleen could tell he was lost in thought. Then he spoke. “That’s why he wants the map, not the treasure.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“The treasure is really the promise of a payoff. If he has that, he can bargain for more time. ‘I have the map that leads to Ronald Wilson’s treasure, I just need more time to find it.’ Or even bargain that ‘We’ll give you the map and we’re even.’ I can see him trying to sell that.”
Gage’s voice came down the line. “But can you see the cartel buying any of that?”
Enzo frowned. “You’re right. They might give him more time to find the treasure, but they wouldn’t let him off the hook for only the map. Vitale is just trying to buy time. If we give him the treasure, he’s out of time.”
It was Kathleen’s turn to frown. “But what does he need time for if he has the treasure and can pay them off?”
“Funny you should ask,” Logan said. “I asked Armand the same question. He said he thinks Vitale is trying to pull a swift one on some of the people he owes money to. Hehasto pay the cartels, but he’s trying to keep some of the money that he owes the other, less dangerous people. He needs time to make that happen in a way where they can’t hurt him.”
“Wait, you mean like he’s trying to put more security in place to protect himself?” she asked.
“Yes,” Logan agreed, “and trying to set up the right real estate that will allow him to be a presence in the scene but secure enough that the little guys can’t get to him.”
Enzo commented, “Essentially, Vitale needs time to pay off the cartels but insulate himself against all of the smaller assholes he’s ripped off.”
“In a nutshell,” Logan said, ‘yes.”
“On another note,” Gage piped up. “We looked into Carlotta, and you were right to be suspicious, Kathleen. Carlotta’s cousin Brad has been in jail for the past three months. Apparently, he was so upset about not inheriting any money at the will readingthat he went out drinking and smashed up a bar. He’s still inside because he doesn’t have the money to make bail.”
Kathleen pushed her hair out of her eyes as she blew out a breath. “So then how did he meet up with Bianca and Rocco?”
“He didn’t,” Enzo stated.
“Enzo’s right,” Gage confirmed, “it wasn’t him. It was Carlotta. Turns out she has a gambling problem. She’s in hot water financially, and her share of her father’s fortune was supposed to bail her out. But she couldn’t find it.”
Kathleen sighed. “Let me guess, she owes Rocco and Bianca.”
“Yup. She met Bianca when she was on a winning roll, and they became fast friends, out shopping and spending money like they didn’t have a worry in the world. Carlotta’s luck ran out, and Bianca had Rocco extend Carlotta credit to cover her debts. I’m guessing Bianca knew about the treasure. Now, Carlotta is in deep with Bianca and Rocco, and the treasure is how she is supposed to pay them off.”
It was all so much to process. Kathleen leaned against the bulkhead, her brain spinning.
“Why did Rocco and Bianca go to Vitale?” Enzo asked.
Apparently, his head wasn’t spinning. Kathleen bit her lip and tried to concentrate on what was being said. The thumping on the door started again, which wasn’t helping.
“I can answer that,” Logan piped up. “Rocco wants to be introduced to some of Vitale’s connections… The cartels specifically. He wants to make some deals with them. The ‘Ndrangheta are already doing it, and he doesn’t want to be left out.”
Enzo nodded. “He’s willing to deal with his sister and Vitale because he has his eye on expansion and solidifying his reputation as the head of the family by making deals with the cartels. That makes a lot of sense. I feel like we’re finally starting to see the whole picture.”
That makes one of us.Kathleen kept that thought to herself. She bit her lip and then rubbed her face. “Wait,” she said finally. “Does that mean that Carlotta hired both the original thieves and Alex to get Ernie, I mean, the statue? She has said that it had to be her cousin Brad, but if he’s in jail and broke, then it wasn’t him.”
Alex answered her question. “Yes, it was her. We think that she told Bianca and Rocco about hiring the other thieves. She wanted to retrieve the treasure without them knowing, so she went to Leo, who asked me. If I had gotten the statue first, then she would have been in control of the treasure hunt. As it is now, she’s all but sidelined. My guess is Rocco and Bianca will take the treasure and either pay Carlotta very little or kill her outright once they have the money.”
Kathleen sighed. “So, this thing is a clusterfuck from all angles.”
