At 8:17 the next morning, I turned into the Prescott Logistics parking lot for the first time in nearly three years.<\/p>\n
The building had changed since my last regular visit. The old brick warehouse still stood behind the administrative wing, but someone had replaced the weathered Prescott Logistics sign with brushed steel letters nearly six feet tall. The lobby windows were darker. Landscaping curved around the entrance in neat beds of ornamental grass and polished stone. Daniel had once told me the renovation made the company look established.<\/p>\n
I parked in a visitor space.<\/p>\n
For a moment, I almost laughed at that.<\/p>\n
My phone buzzed before I opened the door.<\/p>\n
Marcus.<\/p>\n
Daniel arrived twenty minutes ago. He\u2019s in his office. Nina is here too.<\/p>\n
I typed back one word.<\/p>\n
Coming.<\/p>\n
Inside the lobby, a receptionist I did not recognize looked up from her monitor.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood morning. Can I help you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire Morgan.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled politely.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you have an appointment?\u201d<\/p>\n
Before I could answer, another woman appeared from the corridor beyond the security doors.<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Prescott?\u201d<\/p>\n
I recognized her after a second. Tara Wells had once worked in accounts payable. Years ago, she had sat across from me in a cramped office explaining why she was considering leaving because daycare consumed half her salary.<\/p>\n
We had changed the company\u2019s childcare reimbursement policy the next quarter.<\/p>\n
\u201cTara.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face brightened, then tightened almost immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know you were coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat seems to be common knowledge now.\u201d<\/p>\n
The receptionist glanced between us.<\/p>\n
Tara moved closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m finance director.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled faintly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard you were promoted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCongratulations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked nervous.<\/p>\n
That mattered.<\/p>\n
Tara had never been nervous around me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Daniel upstairs?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNina?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConference room B.\u201d<\/p>\n
I moved toward the secured doors.<\/p>\n
The receptionist stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, ma\u2019am. I need to issue a visitor badge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tara froze.<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cA visitor badge?\u201d<\/p>\n
The receptionist looked embarrassed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the policy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited while she printed one.<\/p>\n
The plastic rectangle read:<\/p>\n
CLAIRE PRESCOTT
\nVISITOR<\/p>\n
I clipped it to my jacket.<\/p>\n
Tara whispered, \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t be.\u201d<\/p>\n
But I photographed it before walking inside.<\/p>\n
The hallway smelled like coffee, printer toner, and the lemon cleaner the janitorial staff had used for years. New framed photographs covered the walls: trucks at distribution centers, Daniel shaking hands at charity events, Daniel speaking from a conference stage, Daniel beside city officials at a warehouse expansion.<\/p>\n
I stopped beside one photograph.<\/p>\n
A brass plaque beneath it read:<\/p>\n
DANIEL PRESCOTT, FOUNDER AND CEO<\/p>\n
Founder.<\/p>\n
No mention of the restructuring.<\/p>\n
No mention of the capital infusion.<\/p>\n
No mention of the person whose controlling ownership had kept the doors open when the company nearly failed.<\/p>\n
I kept walking.<\/p>\n
Marcus met me outside Conference Room B.<\/p>\n
He looked as though he had slept even less than I had. His gray hair stuck out slightly at one side, and his tie was crooked.<\/p>\n
\u201cMorning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMorning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow bad?\u201d<\/p>\n
He glanced toward the closed conference-room door.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should hear Nina.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before we entered, he lowered his voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel removed three file boxes last night.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou saw him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSecurity footage shows him carrying them from Records Room Two into his office.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he leave with them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are they?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot in his office now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did they go?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked down the corridor.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many exits?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFour. Main entrance, loading dock, executive garage, east staff entrance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFootage?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLoading dock cameras lost signal for twenty-three minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFour twelve to four thirty-five.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile Daniel was here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCoincidence?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus gave me a tired look.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve worked around trucks for thirty-two years. I stopped believing in convenient coincidences around year five.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inside Conference Room B, Nina had turned the long table into a temporary war room.<\/p>\n
Two laptops were open beside stacks of printed bank records. Colored tabs marked folders labeled HOLDINGS, VENDOR PAYMENTS, RELATED PARTIES, PROPERTY, AUTHORITY, and UNKNOWN.<\/p>\n
She stood when I entered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou came.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sound surprised.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hoped you might sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we\u2019re even.\u201d<\/p>\n
She slid a folder toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cRead that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first page showed a list of entities.<\/p>\n
Prescott Holdings LLC.<\/p>\n
Northlake Strategic Consulting.<\/p>\n
Meridian Equipment Services.<\/p>\n
AP Logistics Solutions.<\/p>\n
Westbridge Advisory.<\/p>\n
I looked at Nina.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are these?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCompanies receiving payments from Prescott Logistics.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReal vendors?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome may be.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat answer means some aren\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCorrect.\u201d<\/p>\n
I scanned the totals.<\/p>\n
Northlake Strategic Consulting had received $1.14 million over three years.<\/p>\n
Meridian Equipment Services: $863,000.<\/p>\n
Westbridge Advisory: $472,000.<\/p>\n
AP Logistics Solutions: $690,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do they do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthlake has no public website, no listed employees, and a mailing address at a commercial mailbox center.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho owns it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard Prescott.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s father.<\/p>\n
I sat down.<\/p>\n
Marcus swore quietly.<\/p>\n
Nina continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cMeridian Equipment Services was registered by a former Prescott Logistics procurement manager.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFormer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe left eighteen months after creating it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did we buy from Meridian?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaintenance components, supposedly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSupposedly?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe invoices reference inventory numbers that don\u2019t exist in our procurement system.\u201d<\/p>\n
I flipped to another page.<\/p>\n
\u201cWestbridge?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPatricia.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis mother has two entities connected to company money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd AP Logistics?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina looked toward Marcus.<\/p>\n
He answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cAndrew Bell.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s best friend.<\/p>\n
The man who laughed first at dinner.<\/p>\n
I leaned back.<\/p>\n
For a while nobody spoke.<\/p>\n
The pattern was too clear to deny and too broad to comprehend all at once.<\/p>\n
Daniel had not simply taken money.<\/p>\n
Money appeared to have been moving outward through a network of people closest to him.<\/p>\n
Family.<\/p>\n
Friends.<\/p>\n
People who had spent years letting me sit at tables while they joked that Daniel paid for everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Nina turned her laptop.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe earliest questionable payment I\u2019ve found so far is five years and eight months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the date.<\/p>\n
That was before Daniel encouraged me to stop attending executive meetings.<\/p>\n
Not after.<\/p>\n
Before.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he didn\u2019t start because I stepped back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Nina said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wanted me to step back because he had already started.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is one possible interpretation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNina.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is the interpretation best supported by the timeline we have right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward the glass wall of the conference room.<\/p>\n
Employees passed outside carrying coffee, folders, phones.<\/p>\n
People had built careers here while money disappeared above their heads.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho approved the invoices?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina slid another page forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cDifferent people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds deliberate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt might be.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMostly mid-level managers. Some signatures are electronic.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRarely.\u201d<\/p>\n
I understood.<\/p>\n
He had insulated himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cWere employees told these vendors were approved?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf finance sees a vendor coded executive-approved, they process it unless something is obviously wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTara?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to talk to her,\u201d Nina said.<\/p>\n
I looked toward the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cBring her in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tara entered fifteen minutes later carrying a notebook.<\/p>\n
She closed the door and remained standing.<\/p>\n
\u201cSit,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
She obeyed.<\/p>\n
Nina began gently.<\/p>\n
\u201cTara, we\u2019re reviewing historical vendor payments. We need your help understanding certain approval processes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tara\u2019s face lost color.<\/p>\n
\u201cHistorical how far?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral years.\u201d<\/p>\n
She glanced at me.<\/p>\n
That reaction was not subtle.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know something,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTara.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know rumors.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat rumors?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked toward Marcus.<\/p>\n
He folded his arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody here is asking you to protect Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her hands tightened around the notebook.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt isn\u2019t Daniel I\u2019m worried about.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho are you worried about?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
She swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have two kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t what I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cHas anyone threatened your employment?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tara\u2019s eyes filled immediately.<\/p>\n
She looked down.<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Not proof, but fear with a history.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d Nina asked.<\/p>\n
Tara whispered, \u201cMr. Bell.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAndrew?\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat authority does Andrew have here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficially? None.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean officially?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tara rubbed her thumb across the notebook edge.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe comes in. Not every week. Maybe twice a month.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes he meet Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes Richard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s father again.<\/p>\n
I looked at Nina.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas Richard ever on payroll?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot in current records.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s never worked operations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tara spoke quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey meet in Executive Conference Three.\u201d<\/p>\n
I knew the room. Small, windowless, rarely used.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens after those meetings?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes finance gets instructions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPayments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina pushed the vendor list toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you recognize these?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tara looked.<\/p>\n
Her face answered before she did.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you told what services they provided?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConsulting. Equipment. Strategy. Market development.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ever see deliverables?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ask?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tara\u2019s mouth tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word barely came out.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAndrew came into my office the next morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her hands began trembling.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said some people build careers by knowing which questions belong to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus muttered something under his breath.<\/p>\n
I asked, \u201cDid Daniel know Andrew spoke to you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou reported it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tara looked at me then.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Daniel had sent the payment instruction.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went quiet.<\/p>\n
I felt something inside me settle further.<\/p>\n
Not break.<\/p>\n
Settle.<\/p>\n
Like concrete curing.<\/p>\n
Nina asked, \u201cDo you still have those instructions?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy email.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCompany email?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not delete anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan Daniel access your account?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIT administrators can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m getting IT.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Daniel has someone monitoring this room, bringing IT in tells him exactly what we\u2019re preserving.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need outside imaging.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can arrange it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tara whispered, \u201cAm I in trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked unconvinced.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you processed payments you believed were authorized, that is something the auditors will document,\u201d Nina said. \u201cWhat matters right now is preservation and honesty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tara exhaled shakily.<\/p>\n
I asked, \u201cWhy were you afraid when I walked in?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked down again.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause people said you weren\u2019t allowed here.\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho said that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot directly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter you stopped coming, Daniel told department heads that all financial questions went through him. He said you had stepped away permanently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not the same as saying I wasn\u2019t allowed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cLater he told security not to grant you administrative access without authorization.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout two years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered the visitor badge clipped to my jacket.<\/p>\n
Slowly, I removed it and placed it on the table.<\/p>\n
Daniel had not merely allowed distance to grow.<\/p>\n
He had formalized it.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Tara hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a folder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat folder?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExecutive archive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have an executive archive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBasement records.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat room was converted to storage.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPart of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout four years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina closed her laptop.<\/p>\n
\u201cShow us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The basement smelled of cardboard, concrete, and old HVAC dust.<\/p>\n
Tara led us past shelving units stacked with tax records and vendor files until we reached a locked gray door half-hidden behind rolling storage racks.<\/p>\n
Marcus stared at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never seen that lock.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tara produced a keycard.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was added during the renovation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho has access?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel. Andrew. Richard. Finance director.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd me?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
She looked apologetic.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She swiped the card.<\/p>\n
The lock clicked.<\/p>\n
Inside were six metal cabinets.<\/p>\n
One had a white label.<\/p>\n
CM.<\/p>\n
My initials.<\/p>\n
Nina photographed the cabinet before opening it.<\/p>\n
Inside were copies of agreements, correspondence, board notes, and legal documents.<\/p>\n
Some were familiar.<\/p>\n
Some were not.<\/p>\n
I pulled out a folder dated three years earlier.<\/p>\n
Inside was a document titled:<\/p>\n
CONSENT TO TRANSFER CONTROLLING INTEREST.<\/p>\n
My name appeared on the signature line.<\/p>\n
Claire Morgan Prescott.<\/p>\n
I stared at it.<\/p>\n
I had never signed that document.<\/p>\n
The signature looked close.<\/p>\n
Close enough to fool someone who had seen mine only occasionally.<\/p>\n
But wrong.<\/p>\n
My C curved too tightly.<\/p>\n
My final t crossed from the opposite direction.<\/p>\n
Nina leaned beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that yours?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCertain?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCompletely.\u201d<\/p>\n
She lifted the page by its edge.<\/p>\n
The document purported to transfer fifteen percent of my shares to Daniel.<\/p>\n
If valid, it would give him fifty-four percent.<\/p>\n
Control.<\/p>\n
Marcus said quietly, \u201cThat\u2019s why he thinks he owns the company.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the forged signature.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt the shock pass through me, then sharpen into something clearer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why he needs everyone else to think he owns it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina continued examining the file.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no notarization seal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWould it need one?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor this transfer, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s invalid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLikely. But it may have been shown to banks, vendors, insurers, or employees.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo establish authority.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tara whispered, \u201cOh my God.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked through the remaining pages.<\/p>\n
There were draft letters referring to Daniel as majority shareholder.<\/p>\n
Internal memos.<\/p>\n
Bank correspondence.<\/p>\n
A copy of a board resolution.<\/p>\n
Then I found one page with handwritten notes.<\/p>\n
Not Daniel\u2019s handwriting.<\/p>\n
Andrew\u2019s.<\/p>\n
I recognized the heavy block letters from Christmas cards and golf score sheets left on our kitchen counter.<\/p>\n
Next to my name, he had written:<\/p>\n
Need clean signature version before Q4.<\/p>\n
I handed the page to Nina.<\/p>\n
Her face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis changes things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are no longer just dealing with questionable payments.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cForgery.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPotentially fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus looked toward the doorway.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to secure this room now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing leaves.\u201d<\/p>\n
My phone vibrated.<\/p>\n
Daniel.<\/p>\n
I declined it.<\/p>\n
He called again.<\/p>\n
I declined that too.<\/p>\n
Then a message appeared.<\/p>\n
Get out of the basement.<\/p>\n
My blood went cold.<\/p>\n
I showed Marcus.<\/p>\n
He looked up immediately toward the ceiling.<\/p>\n
\u201cCameras.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tara whispered, \u201cThere shouldn\u2019t be any down here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShouldn\u2019t be isn\u2019t the same as aren\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus walked into the corridor.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t touch anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another message arrived.<\/p>\n
Claire, I\u2019m warning you.<\/p>\n
I typed back.<\/p>\n
About what?<\/p>\n
Three dots appeared.<\/p>\n
Vanished.<\/p>\n
Appeared again.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
You have no idea what you\u2019re opening.<\/p>\n
I looked at the forged signature lying inside the folder.<\/p>\n
For the first time since dinner, I believed Daniel completely.<\/p>\n
He was right.<\/p>\n
I had no idea.<\/p>\n
But I was going to find out.<\/p>\n
At 8:17 the next morning, I turned into the Prescott Logistics parking lot for the first time in nearly three years. The building had changed since my last regular visit. … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26122","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\/26122","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=26122"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26122\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26170,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26122\/revisions\/26170"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/26117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}