“And someone spent fourteen months making sure I never learned who she was.”
Across the ballroom, Evan slowly lowered his champagne glass.
And suddenly, I knew exactly who that someone had been.
PART 2
Olivia recovered first.
She always did when attention shifted away from her.
“Well,” she said brightly, “that’s wonderful. Sophie helped with an audit.”
“Helped?” Richard repeated.
“She was probably part of a team.”
I almost smiled.
Richard didn’t.
“She led it.”
My father stared at me.
“You never told us.”
“You never asked.”
Mom flinched.
Evan stepped forward.
“Dad, this isn’t the place.”
Richard looked at him.
“No. I think this may be exactly the place.”
Evan’s jaw tightened.
I recognized that expression.
I had seen it fourteen months earlier during a video interview conducted through counsel.
He had been charming then.
Helpful.
Too helpful.
After the investigation, three attempts were made to discredit my findings. Anonymous messages accused me of manipulating evidence. Someone pressured a junior analyst to change timestamps.
Then someone leaked a rumor that I had accepted money from a competitor.
None of it worked.
Soon afterward, I left Halden and opened my own forensic consulting firm.
I had always assumed the retaliation came from the executives we exposed.
Now I looked at Evan.
And understood.
Richard asked quietly, “Why didn’t you contact me after the case closed?”
“My contract prohibited direct communication for twelve months.”
“That expired two months ago.”
“Yes.”
“Then why?”
I looked at Evan.
“Because shortly before it expired, someone offered me $250,000 to sign a permanent nondisclosure agreement covering matters that were not protected by the original investigation.”
Olivia’s smile disappeared.
