Chương 6
Children did not always understand details.
But they often understood patterns.
The next morning, Adrien made a decision.
He would not return to Northbridge as an employee.
Not yet.
He would return as someone looking for answers.
Before he drove there, he stopped at a small coffee shop near the facility.
The place was crowded with people starting their day.
A woman argued gently with her child about wearing a jacket.
Two construction workers discussed a football game.
A man in a suit stared at his laptop while eating a muffin he clearly did not enjoy.
Nobody knew anything about Northbridge.
Nobody cared about the boardroom.
For a few minutes, the world was normal.
Adrien appreciated that more than he expected.
When he arrived at the facility, Daniel was waiting near the entrance.
"You came."
Adrien looked at him.
"You sound surprised."
"I wasn't sure you would."
"I wasn't sure either."
Daniel nodded.
"Fair."
They walked toward the administrative offices.
"I found something," Daniel said.
Adrien stopped.
"What?"
Daniel looked uncomfortable.
"Before I tell you, I need you to understand something."
"I am listening."
"I was not aware of the report changes."
Adrien studied him.
"Do you expect me to believe that?"
"No."
The answer was immediate.
"I expect you to know I am telling you because it is the truth."
That honesty caught him off guard.
"What did you find?"
Daniel opened his tablet.
"An internal access record."
Adrien looked at the screen.
A list of system activity appeared.
Maintenance files.
Report revisions.
User access.
His eyes moved down the page.
Then stopped.
A name appeared.
Not Victoria.
Not Greg.
Someone else.
Someone Adrien knew.
Someone Adrien knew.
His eyes stayed on the name.
Greg Mullen.
For several seconds, the letters did not make sense.
Not because he did not recognize them.
Because he did.
"Greg?"
Daniel nodded slowly.
"Three separate accesses."
Adrien stared at the screen.
"When?"
"Two days before the client demonstration."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"Can you see what he changed?"
Daniel hesitated.
"Some of it."
Adrien looked at him.
"Some?"
"Maintenance permissions were restricted after the access."
The answer bothered him.
Not because it was unclear.
Because it sounded like someone had built a wall around the information.
"Show me."
Daniel glanced toward the hallway.
"Not here."
They moved into a small records room that smelled like old paper and printer toner.
The room was barely used anymore.
Digital systems had replaced most physical storage, but companies rarely removed rooms completely.
They simply forgot them.
Daniel closed the door.
"I pulled what I could before legal locked everything."
Adrien looked at him.
"You are risking your job."
Daniel gave a tired smile.
"That is becoming a popular activity around here."
He opened the tablet again.
"The first access was to your original report."
"Greg changed it?"
"No."
Adrien looked at him.
"Then what?"
"Someone else changed it before Greg opened it."
The confusion on Adrien's face was obvious.
Daniel continued.
"Greg accessed the report because he noticed something was wrong."
Adrien looked back at the screen.
"Then why didn't he tell me?"
"I asked him."
"What did he say?"
Daniel looked away.
"He said he was trying to fix it."
Adrien felt something tighten in his chest.
Not anger.
Disappointment.
That was worse.
Because anger meant he could push it away.
Disappointment meant there was still something there he cared about.
"Where is he?"
"At home."
"Did you suspend him?"
"No."
"Why?"
Daniel looked at him.
"Because I don't know if he is responsible or if he is the person who noticed."
Adrien considered that.
It was the first reasonable thing anyone had said since the boardroom.
"Can I talk to him?"
Daniel hesitated.
"Probably not a good idea."
"Why?"
"Because right now everyone thinks everyone else is hiding something."
Adrien almost smiled.
"That is because everyone is hiding something."
Daniel did not disagree.
They walked back toward the main offices.
People noticed Adrien.
Not openly.
Not dramatically.
Just enough.
A technician stopped talking when he passed.
An engineer looked down at his phone too quickly.
A receptionist offered him a sympathetic smile that disappeared when their eyes met.
The building felt different.
Not because the walls had changed.
Because people had.
Before, Adrien had been invisible.
Now everyone saw him.
He was not sure which was worse.
Near the maintenance area, Denny spotted him.
The older technician froze.
"Well."
Adrien stopped.
"Hey, Denny."
Denny looked at Daniel.
Then back at Adrien.
"You're actually here."
"Apparently."
Denny wiped his hands on a cloth.
"I heard things."
"Most people have."
"Yeah."
He looked uncomfortable.
Denny had always been direct.
It was one of the reasons Adrien liked him.
But now even Denny seemed to be measuring his words.
"What?"
Denny sighed.
"I heard Greg changed your report."
Adrien watched him carefully.
"Did you hear that from someone or did you see something?"
Denny looked away.
That was enough.
"Denny."
"I didn't see the report."
"Then what?"
Denny lowered his voice.
"I saw Greg in your office."
Adrien felt the answer before hearing the details.
"When?"
"The night before the meeting."
"Doing what?"
Denny swallowed.
"Looking through your desk."
The hallway noise seemed to fade.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Denny looked embarrassed.
"Because I thought he was helping you."
Adrien did not respond.
"Come on," Denny continued.
"You know Greg."
"I did."
The words surprised Denny.
Maybe they surprised Adrien too.
"I thought he was trying to protect me."
Denny nodded.
"That is what I thought."
Adrien looked through the window toward the factory floor.
Machines continued running.
Workers continued moving.
The entire place continued as if trust was not something that could break.
"Did he take anything?"
Denny shook his head.
"I don't know."
"Think."
Denny frowned.
"Why?"
"Because everyone keeps telling me they don't know."
Adrien's voice was not loud.
That made it more serious.
"I need someone to remember."
Denny looked down.
Then slowly nodded.
"He took something."
"What?"
May you like
"I don't know."
"Denny."
