By three that afternoon, the forensic team had converted the executive conference room into something that no longer resembled a place where executives made decisions.<\/p>\n
Laptops covered the table. External drives sat beside stacks of printed invoices. Two accountants from Merritt & Sloan spoke quietly near the wall while Nina reviewed a spreadsheet on her tablet.<\/p>\n
I stood at the window watching employees leave for lunch.<\/p>\n
From twelve floors above the parking lot, everyone looked small enough to fit inside the lines painted on the asphalt.<\/p>\n
Eighty-three people.<\/p>\n
That number had begun repeating itself in my head.<\/p>\n
Every transfer we uncovered had consequences beyond Daniel and me. Every supplier contract affected freight costs, customer pricing, payroll and expansion plans. Whatever had happened inside Prescott Logistics, I could not afford to see it only through the lens of betrayal.<\/p>\n
Nina approached.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have enough to establish a pattern.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKickbacks?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPotentially.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPotentially isn't enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. But it's enough to keep digging.\u201d<\/p>\n
She handed me a printed sheet.<\/p>\n
Four suppliers appeared in a column.<\/p>\n
Harrow Industrial Packaging.<\/p>\n
Northline Fleet Services.<\/p>\n
Creston Fuel Solutions.<\/p>\n
Merrick Systems.<\/p>\n
Each company had made transfers into the same private account controlled by Daniel.<\/p>\n
The deposits did not occur immediately after invoices were paid.<\/p>\n
They appeared several weeks later.<\/p>\n
Small enough, irregular enough, and spaced far enough apart that someone reviewing ordinary statements might not notice.<\/p>\n
But in aggregate, the pattern was unmistakable.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much business did these companies receive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThirty-one million dollars in contracts over four years.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Daniel received two point one million?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo far.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo far?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe account was opened almost five years ago. We don't yet have the earliest statements.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked again at the supplier names.<\/p>\n
Northline Fleet Services bothered me.<\/p>\n
I knew that company.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho owns Northline?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina tapped her tablet.<\/p>\n
\u201cGraham Lyle.\u201d<\/p>\n
I knew that name too.<\/p>\n
Graham had played golf with Daniel.<\/p>\n
He had attended our Christmas parties.<\/p>\n
Three summers earlier, he and his wife had spent a weekend at the lake house with us, though Daniel had complained the entire time that the place lacked decent cell reception.<\/p>\n
I remembered Graham standing beside the grill, laughing with Daniel while smoke drifted across the porch.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long has Northline been a supplier?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlmost eight years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore this account existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo something changed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus entered the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wanted procurement files?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He placed a thick binder on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also brought something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
He set down a flash drive.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOld board presentations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow old?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSix years. Maybe more.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy aren't they in the shared archive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel had IT migrate records after the company changed software systems. A lot of historical data supposedly became redundant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSupposedly?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus shrugged.<\/p>\n
\u201cI keep backups.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time in days, I felt something close to gratitude.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou may have just made yourself my favorite person.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon't tell my wife.\u201d<\/p>\n
I inserted the drive.<\/p>\n
Folders appeared by year.<\/p>\n
Inside the folder from five years earlier was a procurement presentation comparing fleet-maintenance providers.<\/p>\n
Northline had not been the cheapest bidder.<\/p>\n
Not even close.<\/p>\n
I opened the final recommendation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho prepared this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus leaned over.<\/p>\n
\u201cProcurement committee.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho chaired it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBack then? Elaine Porter.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered Elaine.<\/p>\n
Sharp, meticulous, incapable of pretending a bad number was a good one.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did she leave?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus's expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought you knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKnew what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel fired her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRight after this.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said she was obstructing growth.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked down at the recommendation.<\/p>\n
Elaine's team had ranked Northline fourth out of five bidders.<\/p>\n
Yet the contract had gone to Northline.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she object?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLoudly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel overruled her.\u201d<\/p>\n
I searched further.<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
An executive authorization replacing the committee's recommendation.<\/p>\n
Signed by Daniel.<\/p>\n
Northline was awarded the contract.<\/p>\n
Three months later, the private account received its first transfer from Graham Lyle.<\/p>\n
One hundred twenty-five thousand dollars.<\/p>\n
Nobody spoke.<\/p>\n
The room seemed suddenly colder.<\/p>\n
Nina broke the silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's significant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt could still be something else,\u201d Marcus said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLoan repayment. Private investment. Anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we'll establish what it was.\u201d<\/p>\n
I kept searching.<\/p>\n
Harrow Industrial had followed a similar pattern.<\/p>\n
Creston Fuel too.<\/p>\n
In each case, procurement staff recommended another vendor.<\/p>\n
In each case, Daniel intervened.<\/p>\n
Within months, money appeared in his private account.<\/p>\n
But Merrick Systems was different.<\/p>\n
Their contract had been approved normally.<\/p>\n
No obvious override.<\/p>\n
No competing recommendation rejected.<\/p>\n
I opened its vendor file.<\/p>\n
The contact person was Andrew Bell.<\/p>\n
I stared at the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cAndrew worked for Merrick?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot that I knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to this, he was listed as an external business-development representative.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFour years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
That matched the beginning of the payments.<\/p>\n
A familiar pressure settled behind my ribs.<\/p>\n
Andrew had not merely received consulting fees from Prescott Logistics.<\/p>\n
He had been connected to one of the suppliers sending Daniel money.<\/p>\n
I called him.<\/p>\n
He didn't answer.<\/p>\n
I called again.<\/p>\n
Voicemail.<\/p>\n
I typed a message.<\/p>\n
You need to come to the office. Today.<\/p>\n
He replied less than a minute later.<\/p>\n
Can't.<\/p>\n
I wrote:<\/p>\n
Then I'll send counsel to you.<\/p>\n
Three dots appeared.<\/p>\n
Disappeared.<\/p>\n
Returned.<\/p>\n
Finally:<\/p>\n
I'll be there at 5.<\/p>\n
At four thirty, Daniel arrived instead.<\/p>\n
Security called from the lobby.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe's demanding entry,\u201d Jenna said over the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis executive access is suspended.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does he want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe says personal belongings.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Nina.<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot without supervision.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell him someone will escort him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Five minutes later, Daniel entered the conference floor with a security officer behind him.<\/p>\n
He stopped when he saw me.<\/p>\n
For the first time since the anniversary dinner, he looked tired.<\/p>\n
Not angry.<\/p>\n
Not polished.<\/p>\n
His shirt was wrinkled, and the gray beneath his eyes made him look older than forty-two.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we talk?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen come home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
His gaze moved toward the forensic accountants.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou brought strangers into the company.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hired professionals.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo tear through everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo determine what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
He lowered his voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are humiliating me in front of employees.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
Five days earlier, that accusation might have stunned me.<\/p>\n
Now I almost admired the symmetry.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're worried about humiliation?\u201d<\/p>\n
His face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI apologized for dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. You told me I was overreacting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo was I.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't see me trying to destroy your life.\u201d<\/p>\n
I held his gaze.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel, did Graham Lyle give you money?\u201d<\/p>\n
His expression changed so quickly that I almost missed it.<\/p>\n
Almost.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGraham.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does he have to do with anything?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's what I'm asking.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward Nina.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe put you up to this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina didn't react.<\/p>\n
I stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Graham transfer money into an account you control?\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel's jaw shifted.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a private arrangement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat arrangement?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInvestment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't remember every private deal I've made.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo point one million dollars isn't the kind of thing most people forget.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou accessed my personal accounts?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCompany evidence led us there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had no right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen explain why suppliers receiving millions in company contracts were paying you privately.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at me.<\/p>\n
For a moment, I thought he might finally confess.<\/p>\n
Instead, he laughed.<\/p>\n
It was thin and brittle.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou've decided I'm guilty already.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI've decided the records require explanation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSame thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Facts and conclusions are different. You used to know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
That struck him.<\/p>\n
He looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire, stop this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGive me a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am your husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn't a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt should mean something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt did.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes returned to mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid?\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn't answer.<\/p>\n
The silence did it for me.<\/p>\n
His face changed.<\/p>\n
For one brief moment, the financial investigation disappeared and we were simply two people standing inside the wreckage of a marriage neither had admitted was ending.<\/p>\n
Then the elevator opened.<\/p>\n
Andrew stepped out.<\/p>\n
He saw Daniel.<\/p>\n
Stopped.<\/p>\n
Daniel turned.<\/p>\n
Their eyes met.<\/p>\n
Whatever passed between them happened without a word.<\/p>\n
Fear.<\/p>\n
Recognition.<\/p>\n
Warning.<\/p>\n
I saw all three.<\/p>\n
So did Nina.<\/p>\n
Daniel moved toward Andrew.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew looked at me instead.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe called.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel's voice hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't have to talk to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cAndy.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was the nickname that did it.<\/p>\n
I had heard Daniel use it hundreds of times.<\/p>\n
At barbecues.<\/p>\n
Birthday dinners.<\/p>\n
Football games.<\/p>\n
But never like that.<\/p>\n
Not affection.<\/p>\n
Instruction.<\/p>\n
Andrew lowered his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can't keep doing this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel grabbed his arm.<\/p>\n
The security officer moved immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cSir.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel released him.<\/p>\n
Andrew backed away.<\/p>\n
I opened the conference-room door.<\/p>\n
\u201cInside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel stood outside while Andrew entered.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked back.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want to explain the supplier payments, call Nina.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon't do this with Andrew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn't understand the business.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew stopped.<\/p>\n
His shoulders tightened.<\/p>\n
Then he turned around.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand exactly what I did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel went pale.<\/p>\n
The security officer escorted Daniel toward his former office.<\/p>\n
Inside the conference room, Andrew sat down.<\/p>\n
He looked ten years older than he had at Bellmont House.<\/p>\n
Nina started a recorder.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the record, do you consent to this conversation being recorded?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you represented by counsel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou understand you may obtain counsel before speaking?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He rubbed both hands over his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cGod.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat opposite him.<\/p>\n
\u201cStart with Merrick Systems.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou found that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cMerrick paid commissions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy portion was smaller.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe four hundred thousand over four years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOver a million.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina wrote something.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMerrick wanted the systems contract.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich they received.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas their bid legitimate?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were qualified.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wasn't the question.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey weren't the strongest bid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why were they selected?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel pushed them through.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the payments?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCalled referral fees.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReferral to whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUs.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were taking money from a vendor whose contract you influenced.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice cracked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know how it sounds.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sounds accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew flinched.<\/p>\n
I didn't enjoy it.<\/p>\n
That surprised me.<\/p>\n
I had imagined anger would make this easier.<\/p>\n
Instead, every confession felt like another room in a house I had once lived in collapsing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Graham Lyle?\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel handled Graham.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Harrow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCreston?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSame.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know about the forged signatures?\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew looked at the table.<\/p>\n
That was answer enough.<\/p>\n
My voice became quieter.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much did you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot at first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe two years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo years.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel said the ownership structure was temporary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told everyone that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said your shares were effectively his because you were married.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's not how corporations work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew it then.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew looked ashamed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ever see him sign my name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you sign it?\u201d<\/p>\n
His head snapped up.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Melissa?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho did?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never saw it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas there anyone handling documents for Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew looked toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis assistant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich one?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe's had several.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCurrent?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Previous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cName?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRachel Foster.\u201d<\/p>\n
I knew Rachel.<\/p>\n
She had worked for Daniel for almost four years before leaving abruptly the previous summer.<\/p>\n
Daniel had told me she moved to Seattle to be closer to family.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Rachel now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought she was still here.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Nina.<\/p>\n
Nina was already searching.<\/p>\n
Andrew continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCalendars. Passwords. contracts. Signatures. She prepared whatever Daniel asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she participate?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut she might know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina looked up from her tablet.<\/p>\n
\u201cRachel Foster never moved to Seattle.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSame city.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at Andrew.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did Daniel lie about that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she quit?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked sick.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel fired her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe threatened to report something.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAndrew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI swear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you hear?\u201d<\/p>\n
He gripped the edge of the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard them arguing. She said she wouldn't put her name on something illegal. Daniel told her she had already done enough that nobody would believe she was innocent.\u201d<\/p>\n
A chill moved through me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen was this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLast July.\u201d<\/p>\n
The timing hit me immediately.<\/p>\n
Two weeks after Rachel left, Daniel had taken me to Napa for my birthday.<\/p>\n
He had been unusually attentive.<\/p>\n
Flowers in the hotel room.<\/p>\n
Dinner reservations.<\/p>\n
A necklace I had never asked for.<\/p>\n
I had thought we were reconnecting.<\/p>\n
Perhaps he had simply been relieved.<\/p>\n
\u201cFind her,\u201d I told Nina.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have an address.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCall first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina stepped away.<\/p>\n
Andrew watched me.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire.\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn't want to hear whatever apology he had prepared.<\/p>\n
Still, I let him speak.<\/p>\n
\u201cI should have told you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI kept thinking Daniel would fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople don't fix things they're benefiting from.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you laugh at dinner?\u201d<\/p>\n
The question escaped before I could stop it.<\/p>\n
Andrew looked confused.<\/p>\n
Then shame spread across his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen he called me his biggest mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou laughed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, you do.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause everyone else did.\u201d<\/p>\n
The simplicity of it hurt more than an elaborate excuse.<\/p>\n
People often imagined cruelty required hatred.<\/p>\n
Sometimes it required only convenience.<\/p>\n
Andrew had chosen the easier side of the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for answering.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina returned.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo answer from Rachel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLeave a message.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen can investigators interview Andrew formally?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, if he's willing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI'll cooperate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stood.<\/p>\n
Before leaving, he stopped beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel loved you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen somewhere along the way, he decided love entitled him to betray me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew had no answer.<\/p>\n
After he left, I sat alone in the conference room.<\/p>\n
My phone vibrated.<\/p>\n
Unknown number.<\/p>\n
I almost ignored it.<\/p>\n
Then I answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n
A woman's voice whispered, \u201cClaire?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is Rachel Foster.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cRachel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI got Nina Cho's message.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you meet us?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen help me.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a pause.<\/p>\n
I heard traffic in the background.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel knows you found the accounts, doesn't he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you're in more danger than you think.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hand tightened around the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn't fire me because I refused to forge one document.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse slowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe fired me because I kept copies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCopies of what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything.\u201d<\/p>\n
By three that afternoon, the forensic team had converted the executive conference room into something that no longer resembled a place where executives made decisions. Laptops covered the table. External … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15822,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15827"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15827\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15855,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15827\/revisions\/15855"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}