Chương 9
The words did not frighten me because they were threatening.
They frightened me because they were wrong.
“I never knew where Danner buried anything,” I said.
Calder watched my face.
“You believe the note is mistaken?”
“I know it is.”
“Could Marcus have believed otherwise?”
“Yes.”
I sat down slowly.
Seven years earlier, after Danner’s last meeting with me, I had written that he kept glancing toward the courthouse windows whenever I asked about the memorandum.
I had also written one useless line beneath it.
He is protecting a place, not a person.
At the time it had been intuition, nothing more.
“Where did Danner live?” Calder asked.
“Virginia.”
“Still?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did he own property elsewhere?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did you ever discuss storage, safe-deposit boxes, family homes?”
“No.”
Chloe shifted against her pillows.
“Then why would Marcus think Mom knew?”
Calder answered before I did.
“Because people who steal pieces of information often assume everyone else is hiding pieces too.”
I looked at her.
“That was almost philosophical.”
“Don’t tell my lieutenant.”
My phone rang.
Daniel Ruiz.
Calder saw the name and sighed.
“I’m going to permit this only because I’m standing here.”
“You’re generous.”
I answered on speaker.
“Daniel.”
His voice was clipped.
“Federal agents are now coordinating with local detectives.”
Calder nodded once.
“What changed?”
“Halcyon made a formal referral this morning after reviewing the access logs.”
“Marcus?”
“Among other things.”
“Can you say what?”
“No.”
“Then why call?”
“Because Paul Danner is alive.”
Everyone in the room went still.
“Where?”
“I am not telling you.”
“That means agents found him.”
“Yes.”
“Was he already known to investigators?”
Daniel paused.
“Not in connection with this matter.”
“What happened?”
“After Marcus’s name surfaced, someone pulled archived references to the Armitage prosecution.”
“And found Danner.”
“They found an old protected contact trail that led to a current address.”
My mind moved faster than I wanted it to.
“Did Marcus contact him?”
Another pause.
“We are investigating that.”
“Daniel.”
“Eleanor.”
His warning was familiar.
I stopped.
“Is Danner safe?”
“Yes.”
“Has he been interviewed?”
“That is underway.”
“Does the memorandum exist?”
Daniel said nothing.
That silence was an answer, but not one I could use.
“I’m hanging up before you make me violate three rules at once,” he said.
“Good instinct.”
“One more thing.”
“Yes?”
“Your daughter’s name is no longer being treated as a likely source of the unauthorized transfer.”
Chloe stared at the phone.
Daniel continued.
“That is not a formal clearance, and I am not making promises.”
Her mouth trembled anyway.
“But investigators have significant evidence pointing elsewhere.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Daniel heard her.
“Chloe?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry you got caught in this.”
She looked down at her injured wrist.
“So am I.”
After the call ended, nobody spoke for several seconds.
Then Ruth said, “I would like one day where nobody uses the phrase unauthorized transfer.”
Calder almost smiled.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
The next hours moved in the frustrating way serious cases always moved.
Slowly.
People imagined investigations as doors kicked open and secrets spilling out under fluorescent lights.
Mostly they were forms, interviews, waiting, phone calls, and people saying they needed to verify something before saying anything else.
Chloe was admitted upstairs shortly after noon.
Ruth brought her a turkey sandwich from the cafeteria and complained that serving turkey sandwiches on Thanksgiving was either efficient or cruel.
Chloe ate half.
I ate three bites of mashed potatoes that tasted faintly of cardboard.
At 1:36, Calder returned.
She looked more tired than before.
“Marcus has counsel.”
“Trask?”
“Yes.”
“He talking?”
“No.”
“Sylvia?”
“She has separate counsel now.”
“Lauren?”
“Cooperating.”
Chloe folded her arms carefully.
“I still hate her.”
Calder nodded.
“You’re allowed.”
“Is she being charged?”
“That decision has not been made.”
“She helped make the false statement.”
“Yes.”
“She helped access my information.”
“Possibly.”
“She came to my house knowing they wanted me gone.”
“Yes.”
Chloe looked at the window.
“Then why do I feel sorry for her?”
No one answered immediately.
Finally I said, “Because two things can be true.”
“She hurt me.”
“Yes.”
“And he hurt her.”
“Yes.”
“That doesn’t cancel anything.”
“No.”
Chloe nodded once.
“I hate that.”
“So do courts.”
Calder opened her notebook.
“We recovered additional messages from Lauren’s laptop.”
“What kind?”
“Marcus had been directing her to search archived compliance records for months.”
“For Danner?”
“Eventually.”
“At first?”
“Vendor payment histories.”
I felt a familiar shape emerging.
“Extortion?”
Calder nodded cautiously.
“Investigators believe Marcus may have been collecting damaging information on employees and contractors to force access, favors, and money.”
Ruth whispered, “He was blackmailing more than Lauren.”
“Yes.”
“How many?”
“We don’t know yet.”
“And the data transfer?” Chloe asked.
“Evidence suggests Marcus used compromised credentials from several partner firms.”
“Mine included.”
“Yes.”
“Why me?”
Calder looked at her.
“Because you had legitimate Benton access, and your marriage gave him opportunities to obtain authentication information.”
Chloe closed her eyes.
“Home Wi-Fi.”
“Possibly.”
“My laptop.”
“Possibly.”
“My phone.”
“Yes.”
She looked sick.
I moved closer but did not touch her until she reached for me first.
“What about the signed admission?” I asked.
Calder’s voice hardened.
“Investigators believe Marcus intended to use it if the transfer was discovered.”
“So Chloe was contingency blame.”
“That appears to be the theory.”
“And last night?”
“Her call to Halcyon threatened the plan.”
Chloe whispered, “So they needed me quiet.”
Calder nodded.
“We believe Marcus intended to portray you as unstable and responsible for the data activity.”
“And Sylvia?”
“She appears to have believed she was protecting her son from a destructive marriage and a professional scandal.”
Ruth stared.
“She drugged Chloe to protect Thanksgiving.”
“Among other things.”
“That woman needs a hobby.”
Calder continued.
“Sylvia admitted placing crushed medication in the tea.”
Chloe’s fingers stopped moving.
“She admitted it?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“She says Marcus told her you were hysterical and needed to sleep.”
“Did she believe him?”
“She says she did.”
May you like
“Do you?”
Calder held Chloe’s gaze.
