Chapter 2 - The Vice President Who Was Afraid to Speak
Caroline Hayes had negotiated billion-dollar acquisitions without showing emotion.
Now she stood inside the Wellington Room trembling like a woman waiting for someone to break down the door.
Croft reached for her arm.
"Sit down."
Arthur stood immediately.
"Don't touch her."
Croft stopped.
I moved closer to Caroline.
"Are you in immediate danger?"
She nodded.
"My husband disappeared three days ago."
A chill traveled down my spine.
"What do you mean, disappeared?"
"His car was found outside our house. His phone was inside. He never came home."
Croft gave a contemptuous laugh.
"Daniel has gambling debts. He probably ran away."
Caroline turned toward him.
For the first time, I saw anger overpower her fear.
"My husband doesn't gamble."
Croft's smile vanished.
Arthur took out his phone.
"I'm calling my attorney."
I looked toward Sarah, the floor manager.
"Please ask security to preserve the dining-room footage and contact the police. We may have a missing-person emergency."
Sarah nodded and hurried away.
Croft pointed at me.
"You'll regret this."
I met his eyes.
"That sounds like a threat, Mr. Croft."
He looked around.
Several diners were openly watching now.
One guest had begun recording the confrontation.
Croft adjusted his jacket.
"I want my lawyer."
"You're entitled to one," I replied.
Then Caroline whispered something.
"Khloe, Blackbird isn't an investment fund."
I turned.
"What is it?"
"A list."
My heart pounded.
"What kind of list?"
She glanced toward Croft.
"A list of people who were paid to destroy companies before Croft Capital acquired them."
I stared at her.
That changed the investigation completely.
We knew Croft manipulated balance sheets.
We suspected pension theft.
But deliberately destabilizing companies before purchasing their assets would indicate an additional, far more extensive conspiracy.
Caroline gripped my arm.
"There's a warehouse in New Jersey. Everything is stored there."
"What everything?"
"Original contracts. Payment instructions. Private communications."
Croft suddenly lunged across the table.
Not toward Caroline.
Toward her handbag.
Arthur intercepted him.
The two men collided against a chair.
Crystal shattered.
Guests screamed.
Restaurant security rushed forward.
Croft was restrained before he could reach the bag.
Caroline began crying.
I gently guided her away from the overturned table.
"What's in your handbag?"
She looked down.
Then opened it.
Inside was a small black flash drive.
My heart raced.
"Blackbird?"
She nodded.
"I copied the files yesterday."
"Then why come to dinner tonight?"
Her face crumpled.
"Because Richard told me if Arthur didn't invest, Daniel would never come home."
I stared at her.
The dinner wasn't merely a financial negotiation.
It was an attempted rescue.
Then Caroline reached into another pocket.
She removed a photograph.
It showed Daniel Hayes sitting in a chair inside a concrete room.
Beside him stood a man in a gray coat.
I recognized him immediately.
My hands went cold.
Because the man in that photograph was my older brother.
May you like
Ethan Jenkins.
The brother I'd buried six years earlier.
