Chapter 9
Independent counsel interviewed Adrian with Melissa present.
Raffaele was not allowed in the room.
He agreed.
Adrian explained the duplicated badge numbers and the incidents involving Lily.
He also remembered something he had never considered important.
After the first incident, Vanessa asked to see his notebook.
He refused.
After the second, Grant offered him a new motorcycle if he stopped volunteering at rally check-in.
Adrian assumed Grant was trying to be nice.
Melissa closed her eyes when she heard that.
The financial review found the missing link two days later.
Grant’s preferred security vendor had been paying “event consulting fees” to a company jointly owned by Grant and an old business partner.
Not every payment was suspicious.
Some reflected legitimate planning work.
But the amounts rose during months with the largest phantom staffing discrepancies.
The board’s lawyers began preparing civil recovery claims.
Grant responded by attacking Adrian’s credibility.
His attorney produced the three incident reports.
Statements from security men described Adrian as aggressive, impulsive, and eager to fight.
One report said he “initiated physical confrontation.”
That contradicted what Adrian said.
Worse, one guest had signed it.
Raffaele recognized the name.
Vincent Russo.
A capo who had watched the opening rally.
Raffaele confronted him privately.
“You signed this.”
Vincent looked ashamed.
“Grant told me Adrian hit security first.”
“Did you see it?”
“No.”
“Then why sign?”
“Because he said you wanted the kid documented before somebody got hurt.”
Raffaele stared at him.
His own supposed authority had turned rumor into evidence.
Now Grant had exactly what he needed.
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A financial investigation led by a family whose key young witness could be portrayed as violent and unreliable.
If the pattern had been manufactured, proving it would require more than Adrian’s word.
