Chương 11
Tessa looked at Renner first.
“The executive administrator login came from inside the facility.”
“Where?”
“Guest network terminal in conference room C.”
Natalie frowned.
“That’s on the second floor.”
“Yes.”
“Camera coverage?”
Tessa’s expression answered before her words did.
“Hallway camera only.”
“Show it.”
They returned to the security monitor.
Derek pulled conference room C footage from the previous evening.
At 5:31, the hallway was empty.
At 5:34, Claire Mercer appeared.
Natalie took one step toward the screen.
Claire was in her early fifties, short, silver-blond hair, carrying a laptop sleeve against one hip.
She unlocked conference room C with a temporary credential and entered.
At 5:39, she came out.
Five minutes.
Enough time.
Renner’s voice dropped.
“She was supposed to leave for the airport at four.”
Natalie said nothing.
Claire walked down the hallway and disappeared toward the executive elevators.
Derek switched cameras.
At 5:44, Claire entered the lobby.
At 5:46, she left through the front entrance.
Tessa checked the access log.
“She didn’t badge back in.”
Garrison leaned forward.
“So Claire restores Derek’s permissions, then leaves.”
Marcus looked at Natalie.
“Did she know Evan?”
“Everyone knows Evan.”
“Did she know his schedule?”
“I don’t know.”
Renner answered.
“Claire manages executive access, visitor clearances, vendor coordination.”
Marcus turned toward him.
“So she could know who was working late.”
“Yes.”
Priya had come back from the aircraft and now stood behind the group.
“Could she know what he wears?”
Garrison looked at her.
“She sees him every week.”
Priya’s mouth tightened.
Tessa paused the video on Claire’s face.
“She’s five foot four.”
Garrison shook his head.
“The person I saw was at least five ten.”
“Then Claire wasn’t the person in the jacket.”
Marcus looked at the screen.
“But she may have opened the door for whoever was.”
Natalie finally spoke.
“No.”
The word was quiet.
Renner turned toward her.
“Natalie.”
“No.”
She looked at Marcus.
“Claire has worked with me for fourteen years.”
Marcus said nothing.
“She organized my mother’s funeral.”
Nobody moved.
“She knows my son’s allergies.”
Natalie’s voice became thinner.
“She has a key to my house.”
Marcus looked at the frozen image of Claire.
“That doesn’t make the evidence disappear.”
Natalie turned on him sharply.
“You think I don’t know that?”
He let the anger pass.
She pressed one hand against the edge of the desk.
For the first time since Marcus had arrived, she looked tired rather than furious.
Tessa stepped closer.
“We need to locate Claire before we decide what any of this means.”
Renner nodded.
“I’ll call her.”
“No.”
Tessa’s voice stopped him.
She dialed from her company phone and put it on speaker.
The call rang four times.
Then Claire answered.
“Tessa?”
Her voice was calm.
Too calm for everyone listening.
Tessa kept hers neutral.
“Claire, where are you?”
A pause.
“At O’Hare.”
Natalie’s eyes narrowed.
Tessa continued.
“With Graham?”
Another pause.
“No.”
Renner leaned toward the phone.
Tessa raised a hand.
“Where is he?”
Claire exhaled softly.
“I assumed with you.”
Natalie took the phone before Tessa could stop her.
“Claire.”
Silence.
Then Claire said, “Natalie.”
“Where is Graham?”
“I don’t know.”
“You told me he was in Chicago.”
“I told you his itinerary showed Chicago.”
“That is not what you said.”
Claire did not answer.
Natalie’s fingers tightened around the phone.
“Why were you in conference room C at five thirty yesterday?”
The line went silent for two full seconds.
Then three.
Marcus watched Tessa’s face.
She had heard it too.
Not surprise.
Calculation.
Claire finally said, “Natalie, I need you to listen carefully.”
“Answer the question.”
“I can’t.”
Natalie closed her eyes.
“Claire.”
“I can’t answer that while Graham is missing.”
The room went completely still.
Natalie opened her eyes.
“What do you mean, missing?”
Claire’s voice changed.
For the first time there was fear in it.
“His driver never picked him up in Chicago.”
Renner stepped forward.
“He never went to Chicago.”
Another silence.
Then Claire whispered, “Oh God.”
Marcus looked toward the hangar doors.
The suspected saboteur had just become something else.
And somewhere between midnight and sunrise, Graham Voss had disappeared.
Natalie kept Claire on speaker, but for several seconds nobody seemed willing to be the next person to speak.
Tessa was the first.
“Claire, when was the last time you personally saw Graham?”
“Yesterday afternoon.”
“What time?”
“Around three fifteen.”
“Where?”
“In his office.”
“What was his condition?”
“What do you mean?”
“Was he upset, injured, intoxicated, distracted?”
Claire hesitated.
“Angry.”
Natalie looked at Renner.
“About what?”
Claire exhaled.
“The Shinsei vote.”
Natalie’s hand tightened around the phone.
“There was no vote yesterday.”
“There was supposed to be one.”
Renner frowned.
“The board meeting was moved.”
“I know.”
“Why was Graham angry before it happened?”
“Because he thought Natalie had already secured enough support.”
Natalie looked away.
Tessa stepped closer to the phone.
“Claire, did Graham ask you to access conference room C?”
Another pause.
“Yes.”
Natalie’s face went still.
Renner swore under his breath.
Tessa continued.
“For what purpose?”
“He said he needed temporary access to a facilities credential.”
Derek made a sound from behind them.
Claire heard it.
“Who’s there?”
“A lot of people.”
“That’s not ideal.”
“No,” Tessa said.
“It isn’t.”
Claire’s voice sharpened.
“I didn’t know what he was doing.”
Natalie finally spoke.
“You restored Derek’s elevated permissions.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because Graham said IT had locked him out of a camera diagnostic he needed for a vendor dispute.”
Marcus watched Derek.
The young facilities coordinator looked less frightened now than offended.
“He used my account.”
Claire heard him.
“Derek?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry.”
“That’s not really enough.”
“I know.”
Tessa lifted one hand.
“Claire, stay with me.”
“I am.”
“Did Graham tell you which camera?”
“No.”
“Did he tell you why he needed access at all?”
“He said there was an executive issue he didn’t want widely circulated.”
Renner shook his head.
“That phrase could mean anything.”
Marcus glanced at him.
“Apparently it did.”
May you like
Natalie ignored both men.
“What happened after three fifteen?”
