Chương 15
“You’re making the face you make before doing exactly that.”
“I have a face for that?”
“You do now.”
Ravi shut his laptop and stood.
From somewhere beyond the conference room came the muted slam of a door.
Martin crossed to the window facing the parking lot.
A black SUV had stopped beside the side entrance.
Thomas Vale stepped out carrying a leather briefcase.
He looked exactly as he had on Monday.
Controlled.
Well rested.
Untouched by the possibility that hundreds of people were about to learn his name for the wrong reasons.
Martin whispered, “He shouldn’t be here.”
Eve slipped her notebook into her bag.
“Why was he coming in the first place?”
“Restructuring committee review.”
“Without Adrian?”
“Adrian doesn’t attend every site meeting.”
Lena’s phone rang.
She answered immediately.
“Adrian.”
Eve could hear his voice but not the words.
Lena looked at her.
“He wants us out of the building.”
Eve shook her head.
Martin stared at her.
Lena covered the microphone.
“Do not make me explain to a billionaire why you ignored him.”
“Tell him Vale is here for an official meeting, which means walking out now creates a scene before legal knows what happened.”
Lena relayed it.
Another pause.
Then she held the phone toward Eve.
“He wants you.”
Eve took it.
“Hi.”
“Leave.”
Adrian’s voice was so quiet it carried more force than shouting.
“We’re in a secured conference room.”
“Vale resigned twenty minutes ago.”
“Why?”
“He was informed legal wanted to question him about procurement records.”
“That is not proof.”
“I know.”
“Did he give a reason?”
“No.”
“Then if we evacuate in front of employees, everybody assumes guilt before you have facts.”
“I don’t care what everybody assumes.”
“That’s exactly what you hired me to care about.”
Silence.
Eve softened her tone.
“We are not confronting him.”
“You shouldn’t be in the same room.”
“I agree.”
Another silence.
Then Adrian said, “Security is ten minutes away.”
“Corporate security?”
“Yes.”
“Police?”
“No.”
“Good.”
“Eve.”
“I heard you.”
“I mean it.”
“So do I.”
She ended the call before he could turn concern into an order.
Lena stared at her.
“That was reckless.”
“Probably.”
“Why are you like this?”
“My sister asks the same thing.”
Martin moved away from the window.
“He’s inside.”
A moment later, footsteps approached.
They did not stop at the conference room.
Vale passed the glass wall without looking in.
He walked toward the administrative offices with the easy familiarity of someone who had been there many times.
Eve watched him disappear around the corner.
“Where is he going?”
Martin’s face tightened.
“Records.”
Ravi looked up.
“Records storage?”
“Administrative records office is that way.”
“Does it connect to downstairs storage?”
“Yes.”
Eve’s stomach dropped.
“Who has keys?”
“Finance, HR, procurement, me.”
“And board members?”
Martin hesitated.
“Vale used to.”
Lena was already dialing.
“Security.”
Eve caught her wrist.
“Tell them where he is, but don’t announce it over the plant radio.”
Lena nodded and turned away.
Martin opened the conference room door.
Eve blocked him.
“No.”
“That is my building.”
“And if he is destroying records?”
“Then I’m stopping him.”
“You are also a witness who just admitted you were afraid of him two years ago.”
His face hardened.
“Move.”
“Martin.”
For one second, Eve thought he might push past her.
Then machinery stopped somewhere on the production floor.
The change in sound was enormous.
Workers began looking up.
A supervisor gestured toward a stalled line.
An alarm beeped twice and ceased.
Ordinary disruption.
Ordinary work.
It reminded Eve that hundreds of people were within a few walls of whatever happened next.
Martin exhaled.
“Fine.”
Ravi’s laptop chimed.
He looked at the screen.
“Celia sent the spreadsheet.”
Eve turned.
“Can you open it?”
“I already did.”
Rows of supplier codes filled the screen.
Ravi scrolled.
“Delta Alloy is here.”
“Anything obvious?”
“Not without source invoices.”
Martin stepped closer.
Ravi pointed at a column.
“But these freight surcharges are strange.”
“How strange?”
“Same amount repeating across different shipment weights.”
Eve looked at Martin.
“Normal?”
“No.”
Ravi scrolled farther.
“And there’s another supplier.”
“Name?”
“North Harbor Logistics.”
Martin swore under his breath.
Eve looked at him.
“You know it.”
“It was Owen’s recommendation.”
“Still active?”
“No.”
“When did it stop?”
Martin did not answer immediately.
“After Claire left.”
“Who ended it?”
“Vale.”
That made everyone still.
Lena lowered her phone.
“Security is entering the records corridor.”
A crash sounded in the distance.
Not loud.
Metal against concrete.
Then shouting.
Martin moved before anyone could stop him.
Eve followed despite every sensible instruction she had received that morning.
Lena cursed and followed her.
Ravi stayed behind long enough to grab the laptop.
They reached the corridor as two security officers came through the opposite door.
Vale stood beside an overturned file cart.
A cardboard box lay open at his feet.
Folders had spilled across the floor.
He held nothing.
His expression was furious rather than frightened.
“What the hell is this?”
One security officer spoke calmly.
“Mr. Vale, we’ve been asked to keep you out of records storage until counsel arrives.”
“I am the chair of the restructuring committee.”
“Not anymore,” Lena said.
Vale turned.
His eyes moved from her to Martin, then landed on Eve.
Recognition flickered.
“You.”
Eve said nothing.
He gave a dry laugh.
“Of course.”
Martin’s shoulders tightened.
Vale pointed toward the box.
“I came for materials I am entitled to review.”
“You resigned,” Lena said.
“I resigned from Sterling’s board.”
“And lost authorization with it.”
“That is a legal conclusion you are not qualified to make.”
“Which is why Celia is making it.”
For the first time, something cracked in Vale’s composure.
Only slightly.
His eyes went toward the stairwell.
One of the security officers stepped into that path.
“No one is arresting you,” the officer said.
“We’re asking you to wait.”
Vale looked at Martin.
“You told them.”
Martin did not answer.
May you like
The sentence did more than an accusation would have.
Eve felt Lena beside her go rigid.
