Page 20 of Erase Me
Vaughn pulled up the documents from beneath the photos and slid the first paper-clipped bundle toward me.“Timing manipulation, mostly.He’s been strategically timing his buying and selling to capitalize on future market trends.”
“What else?”
Vaughn pushed the second pile over.
“Insider trading.Because he knows future market movements and non-public information, he manages to pull in dupes who think they’re brilliant.Greed makes fools out of people.He uses them to insulate himself and sets them up to take the fall.And that’s not all.”Vaughn pushed the next bundle of pages toward me.“Lately, he’s been creating fake investment opportunities and luring investors into ventures that are destined to fail.It’s fraud, and he doesn’t mind ruining people.He caused a suicide less than a month ago.Del Volpe’s a shark.”
“And he’s getting rich.”
“Oh, yeah.Accounts offshore.Gold bullion in secure vaults from Switzerland to Singapore.He’s got a beach house in Malibu, and he just bought a second home on Billionaires’ Row in New York City last month.”
Vaughn dropped the last pile in front of me.
“Even in the present, he’s altering events by manipulating situations to ensure positive outcomes for his investments.”
One thing Vaughn didn’t have to tell me was that the ripples of Del Volpe’s recent actions were already being felt decades into the future.
I looked in the direction of the marina.“Where is he?”
He gave me the directions to the location where the Volpe’s yacht was docked.
“It’s one of the smaller super yachts in the marina.”
“Staff?”
“At sea, it carries nine crew members—including the captain and a chef—and Volpe has bodyguards, as well.I talked to one of the crew when he was leaving earlier.They were all going up to Newport Beach to party at a place owned by the captain.Currently, only the chef, a steward, and the bodyguards remain onboard.”
“How many?”
“Two armed goons who always shadow him.I saw them on deck just an hour ago.Also, he has company tonight.Volpe has a sweet tooth for underage women.Three girls playing dress-up were ushered down that way around dinner time.From the looks of them, I’d say there’s a strong chance they’ll be missing first period tomorrow at the junior high school.”
Vaughn made a face in the direction of the marina.“And I mean that literally.I wouldn’t put it past this guy to drop them off somewhere south of the border on his way to Cabo.Rumor is, he’s done it before.”
Vaughn gathered the pictures and files and put them back in the folder.
“That’s it?”
He nodded and I tossed my keys to him.
This was his side of the operation.If I failed to return from the job, Vaughn would meticulously erase from the scene any trace of my presence here on this particular date.It had to be that way.It went with the territory.If I failed, I was never here.
“I’ll be close if you need help, boss.”
“I won’t.”
As I crossed the parking lot, I couldn't help but notice the fog rolling in.They called it the ‘marine layer’ here in Southern California.The tourism board must have thought it sounded better.Whatever.Right now the fog was starting to cover the entire waterfront with an eerie, mysterious haze.The taste of salt lingered in the breeze drifting in over the seawalls.
I descended a broad, lighted walkway consisting of concrete steps and a median filled with palm trees and green leafy plants.Before I reached the bottom, the music coming from one of the marina restaurant bars stopped abruptly.Closing time.A laughing, inebriated couple staggering up the stairs paid no attention to me as they passed.
At the bottom of the stairs, there were tables and chairs that I’m sure were filled during the day, but they were empty now.Only a handful of people strolled along the walkways, their attention focused on their partners or the boats in the docks and slips.I wandered across to the railing, surveying the marina.It was so quiet now that I could hear the distant sounds of surf and the gentle lapping of water against the concrete wall beneath me.
Turning to the right, I moved casually toward the berth where my target’s vessel was docked.The Dana Point Marina was an impressive display of expensive boats.Even though the summer season was getting into high gear, the hour was late and the majority of them sat silent and snug in their slips.Cabin lights were only visible in a few docked vessels, and they were widely scattered.
Locked security gates separated the public walking paths from the private docks.As I approached the second gate leading down to the dock, I already knew which yacht was Volpe’s.It was huge and so brightly lit, the thing was probably visible from space.I could see people moving on deck.
I held my phone against the gate sensor, and the lock instantly clicked open.My handler was proving to be a pro.
Volpe’s yacht was far too long to fit in any of the slips.It was anchored at the very end of the dock.Although the rest of the boats moored included luxury sailboats, yachts, and sports cruisers, they were all dwarfed by the vessel at the end.
