Chapter 5
The independent auditors began with five years of foundation records.
Beatrice’s attorney objected immediately.
He called the review retaliatory.
Rebecca answered with the board resolution authorizing it.
No threats.
No family pressure.
No favors.
The audit continued.
Vincent deliberately kept himself out of the technical work.
That irritated him.
It was also necessary.
If he controlled every question, nobody would trust the answer.
The first major finding involved scholarship recipients.
The Moretti Foundation had awarded hundreds of legitimate grants.
Most were clean.
But eighteen recipients were connected to family friends or employees through relationships not disclosed to the board.
Again, favoritism was not automatically theft.
Then auditors compared amounts.
Ordinary scholarships averaged $8,000 to $12,000.
The eighteen related awards averaged more than $40,000.
Some recipients attended schools costing far less.
Where did the excess go?
Several funds were routed through intermediary nonprofits.
Two intermediaries paid consulting fees to a company owned by Beatrice’s long-time financial adviser.
Vincent read the summary twice.
“How much?”
Rebecca answered.
“Potentially six hundred thousand over five years.”
“That’s not two million.”
“No.”
“So what about the rest?”
“Still reviewing.”
Elena sat across the table.
“Look at the dates.”
Vincent did.
The largest questionable payments clustered around major family votes.
Property sales.
Foundation appointments.
Changes in company governance.
Beatrice did not simply fund friends.
She appeared to increase grants around moments when family loyalty mattered.
Vincent looked at Elena.
“You think she was buying support.”
“I think she was using charity money to make certain people feel indebted.”
Rebecca raised one finger.
“That is a hypothesis.”
Elena nodded.
“Fair.”
Vincent appreciated the correction.
Facts first.
Then motive.
That evening, Rebecca found something else.
Beatrice had repeatedly requested paper copies of the family tree maintained by the Heritage Society.
Not unusual for a woman obsessed with genealogy.
Except she annotated them.
Next to adopted family members, she drew small circles.
Next to biological descendants, check marks.
Next to relatives who sat on foundation or holding-company boards, dollar signs.
Vincent stared at the page.
“Where did this come from?”
“Her office files.”
“Legal?”
“Produced voluntarily through counsel as part of the governance review.”
Elena looked sick.
One name had all three marks.
Tyler Moretti, age nine.
Not Lucy.
A different branch of the family.
Vincent’s cousin’s grandson.
Beatrice’s notation system connected blood, governance, and money.
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But the key question remained:
Why was Lucy dangerous enough to humiliate publicly?
