Chương 12
Webb let the possibility sit between us without trying to soften it.
Chloe stared at the photocopy until her good eye narrowed.
“That still doesn’t explain Vanessa.”
“No,” Webb said.
“It complicates her.”
“How?”
“We are working on that.”
Chloe looked at me.
“Everyone in law enforcement should be required to wear that sentence on a badge.”
“I’d support the legislation.”
Webb ignored us with impressive discipline.
“The anonymous package contained copies of vendor records, internal approval chains, and several emails.”
“From Marcus?”
“Some.”
“Mercer?”
“Some.”
“Vanessa?”
“One account associated with her.”
Chloe leaned forward despite the pain.
“What did she say?”
“I cannot give you the contents yet.”
“Why tell me any of this, then?”
“Because your choices from this point forward matter.”
The room quieted.
Webb folded her hands.
“You have information obtained partly through access you may not have been authorized to use.”
Chloe looked down.
“You also appear to have independently discovered financial activity already under scrutiny.”
She looked back up.
“And?”
“And if you are truthful now, completely truthful, that matters.”
“So this is where I ask for a lawyer.”
“Yes.”
Webb said it without hesitation.
Chloe blinked.
I felt an old professional respect rise despite myself.
“You should not answer detailed questions about how you accessed company systems without counsel,” Webb continued.
“That does not mean you are being charged.”
“It means I could be.”
“It means you should protect yourself while cooperating lawfully.”
Chloe glanced at me.
“You agree?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t want to represent me?”
“No.”
That answer surprised her more than anything else had.
“Why not?”
“Because I’m your mother.”
“You were a federal prosecutor.”
“Exactly.”
She looked confused.
“I know enough to know I should not pretend that makes me the right lawyer for you.”
Webb nodded once.
“My office can give counsel your attorney’s contact information when you retain one.”
Chloe’s mouth tightened.
“I don’t have a criminal lawyer.”
“I know someone.”
Three faces turned toward me.
I raised a hand.
“Not an investigator.”
Park, who had been silent for several minutes, said, “That distinction sounded rehearsed.”
“It was not.”
“You have someone independent?”
“Yes.”
“Former colleague?”
“Defense attorney.”
Chloe looked astonished.
“You know defense attorneys?”
“I even liked a few.”
“That may be the most shocking thing I’ve learned about you today.”
Her humor faded quickly.
“Who?”
“Rachel Kim.”
Webb’s eyebrows lifted.
“You know Kim?”
“I prosecuted against her twice.”
“And?”
“She beat me once.”
Chloe frowned.
“Why would that make you recommend her?”
“Because I was right the other time.”
Webb actually smiled.
I called Rachel from the hallway.
She answered on the fourth ring with the voice of someone whose holiday had not yet forgiven the interruption.
“If this is a fundraising call, I am hanging up.”
“Rachel.”
A pause.
“Eleanor?”
“Yes.”
Another pause.
“You’re calling me before nine in the morning on Thanksgiving.”
“Yes.”
“Are you dead?”
“Not currently.”
“Then someone else must be in serious trouble.”
I looked through the glass at Chloe.
“My daughter.”
Rachel’s tone changed immediately.
“What happened?”
“She may need counsel related to unauthorized access of corporate records that could intersect with a federal investigation.”
Silence.
“May?”
“She also spent the morning in the emergency department after an alleged domestic assault by her husband.”
The silence lengthened.
“I’m getting dressed.”
“I’m not asking you to come here personally.”
“You called me on Thanksgiving before nine.”
“That is fair.”
“Send me the hospital address.”
“I’ll text it.”
“Do not have her answer substantive questions until I speak with her.”
“Already handled.”
“Good.”
Then Rachel’s voice softened.
“How bad is she hurt?”
“Two cracked ribs, concussion, bruising.”
A quiet breath.
“I’ll be there.”
She hung up.
I stood in the hallway for several seconds.
A nurse passed carrying a tray of cranberry-colored gelatin cups.
The sight of them irritated me for no rational reason.
Thanksgiving had become distorted into strange little echoes.
Turkey jokes.
Pumpkin pie.
Holiday music playing faintly from a television mounted over the waiting area.
A family near the elevators was taking photographs with a newborn wrapped in a hospital blanket.
Life had no obligation to match the mood of a hallway.
When I returned, Webb was putting the photocopy back into her folder.
“Counsel is coming,” I said.
“Good.”
Chloe asked, “What about Marcus?”
Park answered.
“He will be processed and likely see a judge regarding conditions.”
“Today?”
“Holiday schedules vary.”
“So he could get out.”
“Yes.”
Chloe became still.
I saw the fear arrive before she spoke.
“Can he come near me?”
“We will seek protective conditions.”
“Seek?”
Park nodded.
“I’m not going to promise what a judge will order before it happens.”
“What if he comes anyway?”
“Call 911.”
“That’s it?”
“It’s the correct first step.”
Chloe looked furious.
I understood why.
Legal systems often sounded least comforting when they were most accurate.
Webb stood.
“I need to go.”
“Because of the fire?”
“Among other things.”
She looked at Chloe.
“Do not discuss the financial records with Marcus, Mercer, Vanessa, Sylvia, company employees, or anyone else connected to this matter.”
“What about my employer?”
“Your attorney can advise you.”
“What about my boss?”
“Same answer.”
“My job could think I just disappeared.”
“Tell them you had a medical emergency.”
Chloe swallowed.
“That part is true.”
“Yes.”
Webb turned toward me.
“And you.”
“I know.”
“No calls to former colleagues.”
“I promised.”
“To her?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Her eyes rested on me a second longer.
“Keep that promise.”
Then she left.
Park stayed.
“Rachel Kim?”
She sounded amused.
“You know her?”
“By reputation.”
“That usually means something unpleasant.”
“In her case, effective.”
“She’s expensive.”
I glanced at Chloe.
“We’ll manage.”
“I have savings,” Chloe said.
“You’re not paying for this alone.”
“Mom.”
“Not discussing it.”
Park looked between us.
“I’m leaving before this becomes another crime.”
She headed toward the curtain.
“Detective.”
She stopped.
“What happens to Sylvia?”
“We are still interviewing witnesses.”
“She helped restrain Chloe.”
“That is what Chloe says.”
May you like
“And the caterers?”
“One saw part of the argument.”
