“To whom?”
“I don't know all the destinations.”
“Who gave you instructions?”
Lawson's jaw tightened.
“Catherine.”
“Always?”
“No.”
“Who else?”
He looked toward his attorney.
Then back at Evelyn.
“Patricia.”
Evelyn frowned.
“The HR vice president?”
“She wasn't just HR.”
“What does that mean?”
“She controlled people.”
“Explain.”
Lawson swallowed.
“Complaints. Personnel files. Severance agreements. Background checks.”
Evelyn's stomach turned.
“If someone became a problem…”
He paused.
“What?”
“Patricia found leverage.”
“Personal information?”
“Sometimes.”
“Legal?”
“Not always.”
Evelyn leaned back.
“And Richard?”
“Richard approved payments.”
“Did he know what they were?”
“At first, probably not.”
“And later?”
Lawson laughed.
“Eventually everyone knew enough.”
“Charles Hargrove?”
Lawson's face changed.
“I never dealt with Hargrove directly.”
“Did Catherine?”
“I don't know.”
“ORION?”
Lawson went completely still.
Evelyn noticed.
“You know that name.”
He looked toward his lawyer.
His lawyer said nothing.
Lawson took a breath.
“ORION wasn't a person.”
“What was it?”
“A master credential.”
Caleb had suspected as much.
“Who controlled it?”
“Originally?”
“Yes.”
Lawson looked at her.
“Leonard Bishop.”
“The former CFO.”
“Yes.”
“And later?”
“Catherine had access.”
“Anyone else?”
“Patricia.”
“Richard?”
“I don't think so.”
“Thomas Bell?”
Lawson shook his head.
“I don't know.”
“Charles?”
“I don't know.”
Evelyn watched him carefully.
“Why did you delete the Meridian directory?”
Lawson's attorney intervened.
“Let's proceed cautiously.”
Lawson nodded.
Then answered in general terms.
“I was instructed to remove certain records.”
“By whom?”
He hesitated.
“Patricia.”
Evelyn stared.
“Why did she leave with you?”
“She was afraid.”
“Of the investigation?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
Lawson's eyes filled with something Evelyn had not expected.
Terror.
“Catherine.”
Evelyn said nothing.
Lawson continued.
“Patricia thought Catherine would blame everything on her.”
“Where is Patricia now?”
“I don't know.”
“You left together.”
“We separated.”
“Where?”
“My lawyer will provide the appropriate information to investigators.”
Evelyn nodded.
Then she asked:
“Why did you crash?”
Lawson closed his eyes.
“Someone followed me.”
The room became very quiet.
“Did you see who?”
“No.”
“Vehicle?”
“Dark SUV.”
“License?”
“No.”
“Did it hit you?”
“I don't know.”
“You don't know?”
“It was raining.”
He rubbed his forehead.
“I was watching the mirror. I took the turn too fast.”
Evelyn immediately understood.
“So you are not saying someone caused the crash.”
“No.”
“You're saying you believed you were being followed.”
“Yes.”
“Could you have been mistaken?”
“Yes.”
His answer mattered.
Evelyn appreciated it.
She stood.
“Thank you.”
Lawson looked surprised.
“That's it?”
“For now.”
He stared at her.
Then said:
“Dr. Carter.”
She stopped.
“There is something you should know.”
“What?”
“The money isn't the worst part.”
Evelyn felt cold.
“What is?”
Lawson looked toward the door.
“Blue Harbor bought silence.”
By Friday morning, the external investigators had identified a pattern.
Not proof of every allegation.
A pattern.
Severance payments.
Confidential settlements.
Consulting contracts.
Unusual bonuses.
Vendor transfers.
Employee dismissals.
All clustered around people who had raised concerns.
A quality-control engineer reported falsified testing data.
Three weeks later, she accepted a confidential separation package.
A procurement manager questioned a vendor.
He was reassigned, then resigned.
A software engineer complained about harassment by a senior director.
Her performance rating suddenly dropped.
A junior accountant asked about Meridian.
His contract was not renewed.
Individually, each event could have an innocent explanation.
Together, they demanded scrutiny.
Evelyn sat with Jonathan and Amara inside the conference room.
A wall was covered with timelines.
Amara pointed toward the dates.
“This wasn't just about stealing money.”
Jonathan corrected her.
“We haven't established theft.”
“Fine. Potentially diverting money.”
“Better.”
Amara rolled her eyes.
“You lawyers are exhausting.”
“We keep you out of prison.”
“Occasionally useful.”
Evelyn barely heard them.
She was looking at one name.
Brittany Hale.
The receptionist.
“What about Brittany?”
Amara frowned.
“What about her?”
“Her name appears twice.”
Jonathan checked.
“She filed two internal complaints.”
Evelyn looked up.
“Brittany?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Three years ago.”
“About what?”
“Harassment by a senior executive.”
Evelyn stared.
“Who?”
Jonathan looked at the file.
“Name was redacted from the summary.”
“And the outcome?”
“Complaint closed.”
“Then?”
“She received a promotion.”
Evelyn leaned back.
Suddenly the arrogant receptionist in the lobby became more complicated.
That did not excuse her behavior.
But it added context.
“What happened to her?” Evelyn asked.
Jonathan read further.
“She received a substantial salary adjustment six weeks after the complaint was closed.”
“Silence bought with promotion?”
“Possibly. We don't know.”
Evelyn stood.
“I want to talk to her.”
Brittany had spent the last two days expecting to be fired.
When Evelyn entered the small interview room, Brittany immediately stood.
“Dr. Carter.”
“Sit down.”
Brittany did.
Her confidence was gone.
She looked exhausted.
Evelyn sat opposite her.
“This is not a disciplinary interview.”
Brittany nodded nervously.
“Okay.”
“I want to ask you about something that happened three years ago.”
Brittany's expression changed.
“What?”
“You filed a complaint.”
Her face became pale.
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
Evelyn watched her.
“Yes, you do.”
Brittany's hands began trembling.