Chương 6
“He was.”
“Why today?”
“I don’t know.”
Daniel held up a note.
ASK IF SOMEONE CONTACTED HALPERN LAST NIGHT.
I read it.
“Did Martin say someone had contacted him?”
Ethan went silent again.
There were too many silences now.
Each one had shape.
“Ethan.”
“He said there had been an inquiry.”
“From whom?”
“He wouldn’t say.”
“About what?”
“Old representations.”
“What old representations?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s three things you suddenly don’t know.”
“You think I’m lying.”
“Yes.”
His voice hardened.
“Fine.”
There he was.
The Ethan I understood.
Anger was easier for him than fear.
“You want to believe I’ve spent five years running some criminal conspiracy behind your back because it makes what happened with Vanessa simpler.”
I looked down at my stomach.
“No.”
“Yes, you do.”
“What happened with Vanessa is already simple.”
“It isn’t.”
“You put your mouth on another woman.”
Daniel closed his eyes briefly.
I did not care.
Ethan said, “You have no idea what the last year has been like.”
I almost ended the call.
Instead, I asked, “Was there an inquiry last night?”
Another pause.
“Yes.”
“Who made it?”
“I told you, Martin wouldn’t say.”
“Then why are you certain it has something to do with Daniel?”
“Because who else would you call?”
That was not an answer.
I ended the call.
For several seconds I remained perfectly still.
Daniel pushed my coffee closer.
“It’s cold.”
“I don’t care.”
“You should drink something.”
“I said I don’t care.”
His mouth flattened.
“Okay.”
I looked at him.
“Did you contact Halpern before this meeting?”
“No.”
“Did anyone at your firm?”
“Not on my instructions.”
“That isn’t the same thing.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“Can you find out?”
“Yes.”
He took out his phone.
I watched him type a message.
No theatrics.
No secrecy.
He placed the phone facedown beside the legal pad.
“Who knew I called you last night?”
“My wife.”
I blinked.
Daniel saw it.
Something awkward moved across his face.
“You’re married.”
“Four years.”
I looked at his left hand.
No ring.
He noticed.
“We’re separated.”
“Oh.”
“It’s recent.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
The answer came too quickly, and I recognized my own tone in it.
We sat with that for a second.
Then he said, “My assistant also knows because I asked her to move my first meeting.”
“Did you tell her why?”
“No.”
“Anyone else?”
“No.”
My phone buzzed.
This time it was Priya.
Can you call me when you’re alone?
I showed Daniel.
“Finance?”
“Yes.”
“Trust her?”
“I don’t know.”
“Good answer.”
I stood carefully.
“I’m going outside.”
The ache across my lower back had eased, but my legs felt restless.
Daniel rose halfway.
“I’m not going to fall over.”
“I know.”
“You’re hovering.”
“I’m sitting.”
“You were about to hover.”
He sat again.
Outside, the morning had warmed.
Traffic moved steadily along the avenue.
A man in running clothes argued with a parking meter.
I called Priya.
She answered on the first ring.
“Hi.”
“You okay?”
“Yes.”
She whispered, “Are you with someone?”
“I’m outside.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“I’m alone enough.”
There was a pause.
Then Priya said, “Ethan had finance pull archived investor decks this morning.”
My fingers tightened around the phone.
“Which decks?”
“All of them from the first three rounds.”
“Why?”
“He said legal requested them.”
“Did legal?”
“I called our general counsel’s office.”
“You called them?”
“I needed a reason to find out.”
“What did you say?”
“That one of the archive links was broken.”
Despite everything, I smiled.
“Was it?”
“No.”
“That’s terrible.”
“I’m having a bad morning.”
“So am I.”
Her voice steadied.
“Legal didn’t request anything.”
“What did Ethan do with the decks?”
“He told Marcus to send them directly to him and delete the temporary export.”
A bus roared past.
I turned away from the street.
“Delete it from where?”
“Shared finance staging.”
“Is that normal?”
“No.”
“Can the originals be deleted?”
“Not easily.”
“Not easily isn’t impossible.”
“No, but he doesn’t have admin access to the archive system.”
“Who does?”
“I do.”
I closed my eyes for half a second.
“Priya, do not alter anything.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
“Don’t send me anything you aren’t allowed to send me.”
She went quiet.
“You think I’m trying to steal company records?”
“I think you’re upset and trying to help me.”
“That’s annoyingly reasonable.”
“I’ve had practice with unreasonable people.”
She breathed out.
“I checked one deck.”
“Why?”
“Because you asked me yesterday if people remembered.”
“I didn’t ask you to check anything.”
“I know.”
That frightened me more than if I had.
“What did you find?”
“Your name.”
My hand went to the brick wall beside me.
“In what context?”
“Advisory.”
“What does that mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like.”
“I need more than that.”
“The slide lists strategic advisors.”
“I was never an advisor.”
“I know.”
“How many decks?”
“I only opened one.”
“Which round?”
“Series B.”
My mouth went dry.
That round had closed almost three years after I stepped away from professional work.
“Was my name public?”
“No.”
“Photo?”
“Yes.”
My stomach turned.
“What photo?”
“Your old Bennett Advisory headshot.”
I had not seen that photograph in years.
Navy blouse.
Hair shorter.
A version of me who had slept four hours a night and still believed exhaustion was proof of importance.
“Priya, listen to me carefully.”
“I’m listening.”
“Do nothing else.”
“Emily.”
“Nothing.”
“What if he deletes something?”
“You said he can’t.”
“He can ask someone who can.”
“Then preserve records according to company policy.”
Her voice sharpened.
“You sound like a lawyer.”
“I sound like someone who doesn’t want you fired because of me.”
That silenced her.
After a moment she said, “There’s more.”
Of course there was.
“What?”
“Vanessa came in.”
I looked back through the coffee shop window.
Daniel was watching me now.
“I thought she was taking a few days.”
“So did I.”
“What is she doing?”
“She’s in Ethan’s office.”
“With Ethan?”
“No.”
My heartbeat changed.
May you like
“Then with who?”
“Two people from outside counsel.”
