Samuel did not allow Arthur to call Eleanor again.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot from that device.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur looked at the phone on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think it's compromised?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think whoever messaged Ms. Brooks believes company communications can be monitored.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn't make it true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samuel picked up the device with a gloved hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut given what we've already seen, we don't ignore the possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur looked irritated.<\/p>\n
Then surrendered the phone.<\/p>\n
Priya produced a personal device that had never been connected to airline systems.<\/p>\n
\u201cUse mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur dialed Eleanor from memory.<\/p>\n
This time she answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur.\u201d<\/p>\n
No surprise.<\/p>\n
She had been expecting him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cSafe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you with Thomas Avery?\u201d<\/p>\n
A long pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you called me about Brenda.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat explains nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt explains everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur's voice hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen explain it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot over the phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEllie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur, if what you told me is real, there are records inside the company that were altered years ago and apparently altered again tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen I am not discussing what I know on any phone linked to that company.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur looked toward Samuel.<\/p>\n
Samuel gave a small nod.<\/p>\n
Eleanor continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas called me after your flight landed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy does Thomas have your number?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe's had it for years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cYears?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat have you two been doing?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor was quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrying to find Marissa.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer hit the room.<\/p>\n
Arthur gripped the edge of the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew she disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew she left Denver.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me you didn't know what happened after she quit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you what I thought I could safely tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
No excuse.<\/p>\n
No softening.<\/p>\n
Just yes.<\/p>\n
Arthur looked wounded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I didn't know whether Benjamin still had people around you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words landed harder than shouting.<\/p>\n
Arthur stared at Priya.<\/p>\n
Then back toward the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cBenjamin retired three years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Daniel stayed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel didn't control my office.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor's voice dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Benjamin once did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur said nothing.<\/p>\n
Eleanor continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter Dad died, I found some old personnel files he kept at home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBrenda?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe original warning?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you knew it had been downgraded.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew Dad ordered HR to change it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause by then Brenda had been there more than twenty years and Daniel was running the region. I thought it was old history.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarissa contacted me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone in the room became still.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d Arthur asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter Denver.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur looked stunned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would she contact you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe found my name on Brenda's old records.\u201d<\/p>\n
That made sense.<\/p>\n
Marissa was tracing the same pattern backward.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wanted to know why Brenda's first serious disciplinary action disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you tell her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Dad intervened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me about the passenger reports.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur sank into a chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough to be afraid she was right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur pressed his fingers to his temple.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't you come to me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI called your office.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe week Marissa disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho did you speak to?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBenjamin.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
Arthur's expression darkened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me you were recovering and that all personnel issues had to go through him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was back at work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me Marissa had stolen confidential files and fabricated accusations after being disciplined.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you believed him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor about one day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat changed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas called.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Thomas tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Marissa had evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he show you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you still didn't come directly to me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas said your communications were being screened.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor's voice softened.<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur, we didn't know who around you was safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked hurt by that.<\/p>\n
Not insulted.<\/p>\n
Hurt.<\/p>\n
I understood why.<\/p>\n
To run a company and discover that people believed the only way to protect information was to keep it away from you was a particular kind of failure.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to Marissa?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you've been trying to find her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would you have to find her if you helped her leave?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I didn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPut him on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another voice came through.<\/p>\n
Thomas.<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur's expression hardened immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were on my flight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou recognized Brenda.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou recognized what she was doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you said nothing until police were beside Danielle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas did not defend himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt anger rise again.<\/p>\n
Arthur handed the phone toward me.<\/p>\n
I took it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas was silent for a moment.<\/p>\n
Then he said, \u201cBecause I wasn't sure whether I was seeing the same pattern or projecting the past onto a new incident.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou watched her try to move my bag for yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew she had done similar things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you waited.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My anger sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou apologized on the plane.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI meant it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn't answer why.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas inhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the last time I acted before I had proof, someone disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarissa?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I tightened my grip on the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI confronted Benjamin.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe day after Marissa recorded that hotel video.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told him I had seen evidence of altered incident reports.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked where I got it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe ordered me to turn over every copy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSuspended my internal access.\u201d<\/p>\n
Priya searched his old personnel record.<\/p>\n
Her expression confirmed it.<\/p>\n
Thomas said, \u201cThat night, Marissa called me from a number I didn't recognize.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat someone had followed her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was still in Denver?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cI promised her I would never disclose that without her permission.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur lost patience.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas, that was years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe may be in danger now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen stop protecting a promise over a person.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas's voice hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't know what I promised.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur stopped.<\/p>\n
Thomas continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarissa believed anyone who knew her location could be pressured into giving it up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo she didn't tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me only enough to arrange transportation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTransportation where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI cannot answer that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCannot or won't?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWon't.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
Eleanor's voice came faintly from nearby.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas.\u201d<\/p>\n
He ignored her.<\/p>\n
I asked, \u201cDid she contact you afterward?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a while.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout six months.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing at all?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne message three years later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur straightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat she was safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLocation?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat she had been watching.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWatching what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe company.\u201d<\/p>\n
Priya looked at me.<\/p>\n
Thomas continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said she knew Benjamin had retired, Daniel had survived, and Brenda was still flying.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin prickled.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Marissa knew the pattern continued.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she say why she didn't come forward?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn't trust the process.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur flinched.<\/p>\n
Thomas added, \u201cAnd I couldn't tell her she was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
That hurt because it was true.<\/p>\n
Arthur took the phone back.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you the anonymous sender?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know who is?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a suspicion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to confirm.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo more games, Thomas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn't a game.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas was silent.<\/p>\n
Eleanor spoke from beside him.<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur, meet us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo airline properties.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samuel wrote something on a pad.<\/p>\n
Outside counsel office?<\/p>\n
Arthur shook his head.<\/p>\n
Thomas said, \u201cThere's a law firm downtown. Keller, Ruiz and Finch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Priya looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey represented whistleblowers in transportation cases.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of their partners has held materials for years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur's face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose materials?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarissa's.\u201d<\/p>\n
That changed everything again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't you tell anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell Daniel? Benjamin? The HR department that converted a termination into a resignation?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have told the board.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring Audit 19-B.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Thomas continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was one of the sources.\u201d<\/p>\n
Priya leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe internal audit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you provide Marissa's records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBenjamin narrowed the scope.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret's statement returned to me.<\/p>\n
A review of incident classifications.<\/p>\n
Remediation supposedly implemented.<\/p>\n
Thomas said, \u201cThe board got enough to know the process was weak. They did not get enough to know why.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur looked exhausted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't Margaret get the full material?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I was told privileged employee documents could not be distributed beyond operations review.\u201d<\/p>\n
Priya muttered, \u201cConvenient.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI pushed. Benjamin threatened to terminate me for mishandling protected personnel records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you backed off,\u201d Arthur said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer carried shame.<\/p>\n
Thomas did not hide it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had two children in college.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told myself the audit changes would fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey didn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas's voice grew quieter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought of Malcolm.<\/p>\n
He had waited before speaking too.<\/p>\n
Emily had stayed silent.<\/p>\n
Eleanor had accepted her father's decision.<\/p>\n
Thomas had retreated when his career was threatened.<\/p>\n
No single silence caused everything.<\/p>\n
But silence accumulated.<\/p>\n
That was beginning to look like the mechanism more than any secret conspiracy.<\/p>\n
Arthur asked, \u201cWhat is in the law firm's files?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarissa's original statement. Copies of records. Some correspondence. Instructions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat instructions?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor releasing them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf certain conditions occurred.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat conditions?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne was if a passenger was arrested or seriously harmed after being falsely classified under the same pattern.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas I close enough?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas was quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The handcuffs flashed in my memory.<\/p>\n
Another few seconds.<\/p>\n
Another officer.<\/p>\n
Another interpretation.<\/p>\n
Maybe I would have met whatever condition Marissa feared.<\/p>\n
Thomas continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother condition was if Arthur personally reopened the underlying cases.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo the firm can release them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy some?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarissa divided access.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur's patience was disappearing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she did not trust any one person with everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sounded exactly like the woman from the video.<\/p>\n
Arthur stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're meeting now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas agreed.<\/p>\n
Samuel arranged secure transportation.<\/p>\n
Before the call ended, I asked one question.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Brenda asked for my overhead space, did you know who I was?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo none of this was staged.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were just there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy that flight?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was coming to meet Eleanor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur's face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause three weeks ago, Marissa contacted someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went silent.<\/p>\n
Arthur gripped the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas hesitated.<\/p>\n
Then answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cEleanor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur looked as though the floor had shifted under him.<\/p>\n
His sister came back on the line.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe called me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter years?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor's voice became quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat she thought Brenda was getting worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur looked toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was watching.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew about other complaints?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she know Danielle?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
My involvement really had been random.<\/p>\n
A bag.<\/p>\n
A seat.<\/p>\n
A question.<\/p>\n
A refusal.<\/p>\n
Then everything opened.<\/p>\n
Eleanor continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarissa said she was considering coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBack where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChicago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn't say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she found out Daniel was planning to move into corporate operations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Priya searched.<\/p>\n
Her expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe's on a succession shortlist.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Arthur answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cChief operating officer.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went still.<\/p>\n
The very position Benjamin had once held.<\/p>\n
If Daniel moved upward, the person who had allegedly protected Brenda and altered incident records would gain even more control.<\/p>\n
Arthur's face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is why Marissa resurfaced.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor said, \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who does?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor took a long breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samuel looked toward Priya.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat lawyer?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca Finch.\u201d<\/p>\n
The same firm.<\/p>\n
Keller, Ruiz and Finch.<\/p>\n
Arthur looked toward the clock.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell her we're coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor replied, \u201cShe already knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleanor hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I think Rebecca is the one texting Danielle.\u201d<\/p>\n
My phone vibrated at that exact moment.<\/p>\n
Same number.<\/p>\n
One new message.<\/p>\n
Bring Arthur.<\/p>\n
A second appeared.<\/p>\n
Come without company counsel.<\/p>\n
Then a third.<\/p>\n
Marissa has decided whether she trusts him.<\/p>\n
Samuel did not allow Arthur to call Eleanor again. \u201cNot from that device.\u201d Arthur looked at the phone on the table. \u201cYou think it's compromised?\u201d \u201cI think whoever messaged Ms. … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chapter-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7428"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7428\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7448,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7428\/revisions\/7448"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}