Chương 7
She mouthed, He’s mad.
Daniel nodded.
Richard continued.
“Turn on Channel Eight.”
“No.”
“What happened last night?”
“My daughter was injured.”
“I know that part. I mean what happened publicly?”
“Someone recorded it.”
“Someone recorded everything.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
Richard had been his partner for twelve years and his friend for six before that. He was a large man with a gentle face and the conversational style of a disappointed principal.
“The firm is named in several posts because you were at the gala representing Grant Foundation interests.”
“I wasn’t representing the foundation.”
“You were Michael’s counsel on the Delmont acquisition.”
“Unrelated.”
“Online, unrelated is a dead language.”
Daniel looked toward the kitchen.
Victoria was making eggs.
Emma sat at the island swinging one foot.
“Richard, I need to take leave.”
Silence.
“For how long?”
“I don’t know.”
“You have the Pemberton closing Monday.”
“Move it.”
“Daniel.”
“My daughter is eight.”
Richard stopped.
A different silence.
“I know.”
“No, you were about to tell me why a transaction can’t move three days.”
“I was.”
“It can.”
“Yes.”
Daniel rubbed his eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize to me yet.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means compliance needs to review your communications involving Michael. If you knew about prior allegations—”
“I didn’t.”
“Then we document that.”
“I defended him.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“It feels like it.”
“Feelings are not our department.”
Daniel almost smiled.
There it was.
Richard’s version of affection.
“Take the week,” Richard said.
“I may need longer.”
“Then take longer.”
“The partners will lose their minds.”
“They already have.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. If you’re implicated in concealment, I’ll personally walk you out.”
Daniel looked at the floor.
“Fair.”
“And Daniel?”
“Yes?”
“Stay off television.”
“I wasn’t planning—”
“You love cameras when you think you’re right.”
Daniel hung up.
Emma was looking at him.
“Are you fired?”
“No.”
“Almost?”
“Potentially.”
She thought about that.
“Because of me?”
Daniel stood immediately.
“No.”
She studied him.
“Because of decisions I made,” he said. “Some before last night.”
“Michael says people blame kids when grown-ups lose jobs.”
Daniel went still.
“When did he say that?”
She looked down at her breakfast.
“Before.”
“How long before?”
Emma pushed a piece of egg with her fork.
Daniel wanted to ask again.
Instead, he sat beside her.
“You don’t have to answer right now.”
She looked suspicious.
“You always ask again.”
“I’m trying something new.”
“What?”
“Not being terrible.”
Victoria snorted.
Daniel glanced at her.
“What?”
“Ambitious for a Saturday.”
Emma laughed.
The tension broke.
Only a little.
Enough.
At nine fifteen, Detective Carver called.
The parking garage photograph had been authenticated as originating from Emma’s phone.
The timestamp matched Tuesday at 7:18 p.m.
Hotel access records showed Michael’s keycard had opened the service elevator to the garage at 7:06.
Emma’s temporary childcare badge had been used at 7:11.
Daniel frowned.
“She had a badge?”
“The childcare suite issued RFID wrist tags and visitor cards during gala events.”
“I didn’t know she could access the service elevator.”
“She normally couldn’t. The badge was changed manually.”
“By whom?”
“We’re checking.”
“What about the man in the photo?”
“We may have an identification, but I can’t discuss it yet.”
“Curtis Bell might know him.”
“We spoke to Mr. Bell this morning.”
Daniel looked toward Emma, who was drawing at the dining table.
“What did she tell you last night?”
Carver paused.
“You know I can’t give you a transcript.”
“I’m her father.”
“And she’s a witness.”
The distinction hurt.
It was also correct.
Carver continued.
“She described seeing Mr. Grant arguing with a man in the parking garage. She took a photograph because she thought her father would want to know.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
Of course.
Emma had watched him photograph license plates after suspicious meetings, save receipts, forward strange emails, record dates.
She had learned investigation from him.
“She said Mr. Grant saw her, took her by the wrist, and forced her phone down. She said he told her she could destroy a lot of good work if she made up stories about things she didn’t understand.”
Daniel’s breathing changed.
Carver continued carefully.
“She said he took her back upstairs and told his assistant she had fallen.”
“Did he touch her anywhere else?”
“We asked.”
Daniel waited.
“She said no.”
Relief flooded him so quickly he hated himself for it.
Carver seemed to understand.
“Do not translate that into ‘nothing serious happened.’”
“I’m not.”
He was.
Some part of him had already tried.
“Her wrist was injured. She was intimidated. There may be witness tampering or obstruction issues depending on what evidence supports. We also have reason to examine prior incidents.”
“Curtis told me.”
“I assumed he might.”
“What about the garage meeting?”
“I can’t discuss it.”
“Is it related?”
“I can’t discuss it.”
“Beth.”
Silence.
He had used her first name deliberately.
A negotiation technique.
Personalize the person holding information.
He felt ashamed.
“Sorry.”
Carver said, “You’re going to have to tolerate not knowing things.”
“I’m bad at that.”
“I noticed.”
That afternoon, Daniel drove Emma to his sister Rebecca’s house in Connecticut.
He had resisted leaving the city because it felt like retreat.
Carver suggested somewhere private.
Victoria suggested somewhere with food.
Emma suggested Aunt Becca because she had a dog.
The dog won.
Rebecca opened the door wearing gardening gloves and no expression at all.
Then she saw Emma.
She knelt.
“Hey, bug.”
Emma walked into her arms.
Daniel looked away.
Rebecca was Sarah’s sister.
Older by four years.
Blunter by forty.
She had never liked Michael.
Daniel had once considered that evidence of jealousy because Michael funded a clinic Sarah cared about while Rebecca thought wealthy donors received too much moral credit for writing checks.
Now every old disagreement felt radioactive.
Rebecca stood and looked at Daniel.
“You look like hell.”
“Thank you.”
“I meant worse.”
“Good to see you too.”
She hugged him anyway.
May you like
At dinner, Rebecca did not ask Emma what happened.
She talked about her neighbor’s rooster, which had escaped and terrorized a mail carrier.
