Maggie leaned back.
Now she had something concrete.
Not suspicion.
Not a feeling.
A discrepancy.
She took photographs of the documents.
Then she locked everything away.
That evening, Daniel Price came downstairs.
Maggie was still working.
He stood in the doorway.
“You're here late.”
“So are you.”
He smiled.
“I have work.”
“So do I.”
His eyes moved around the room.
“What are you doing?”
“Records.”
“What records?”
“Old ones.”
He walked closer.
“You've been spending a lot of time on the North Plant.”
Maggie looked at him.
“Have I?”
“Yes.”
“Why do you care?”
“I don't.”
“Then why ask?”
Daniel stopped.
The smile disappeared.
“You know, Maggie, sometimes people spend too much time looking for problems.”
“Sometimes problems need to be found.”
“You don't understand what you're dealing with.”
“Then explain it.”
He stared at her.
“You should leave this alone.”
“Why?”
“Because you're making things complicated.”
Maggie closed the drawer.
“Maybe they already were complicated.”
Daniel stepped closer.
“This isn't a game.”
“I know.”
“Then stop.”
Maggie looked directly into his eyes.
“Are you threatening me?”
“No.”
“Good.”
She returned to her work.
Daniel stood there for another moment.
Then he walked away.
Maggie listened to his footsteps disappear.
She waited.
Then she wrote down the exact time he had entered the archive.
She had learned something important.
Daniel was worried.
And frightened people made mistakes.
The following afternoon, Maggie met Sarah Bennett.
Sarah was a financial crimes investigator.
She was in her forties, calm, observant, and difficult to intimidate.
Maggie spread the documents across a table.
Sarah examined them one by one.
“How long have you been tracking this?”
“About a week.”
“Why?”
“Because the numbers don't make sense.”
Sarah looked at the motor inventory.
“One hundred twelve?”
“Yes.”
“Shipping records say one hundred forty-six.”
“Yes.”
“And all thirty-four missing motors went to Morrow?”
“Yes.”
“Who owns Morrow?”
Maggie handed her another document.
Sarah read it.
Her expression changed.
“Martin Hale.”
“Yes.”
Sarah looked up.
“Does anyone at Bellweather know you're here?”
“I don't think so.”
“Good.”
Maggie frowned.
“Why?”
“Because if this is what it looks like, you may be dealing with people who have a lot to lose.”
“I already suspected that.”
Sarah studied her.
“You're calm.”
“I'm not calm.”
“You look calm.”
Maggie smiled faintly.
“I've had a lot of practice.”
Sarah continued reading.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Find out the truth.”
Sarah nodded.
“That I can do.”
“But I don't want assumptions.”
“I won't make them.”
“I don't want revenge.”
“I understand.”
“I just want to know what happened.”
Sarah looked at her.
“Then we start with the records.”
For the next several days, Sarah quietly investigated.
Meanwhile, Maggie kept working.