Her stomach tightened as she looked at the images.
Daniel told her he had originally planned to confront them outside. But the evening had changed.
He nodded toward the restaurant entrance.
The Woman in the Charcoal Suit
A woman had just walked in wearing a charcoal business suit, accompanied by two men.
Ezoic
One of them carried a leather portfolio. The other had a badge visible on his belt.
Daniel exhaled slowly and told Claire that the woman in the suit was Andrew’s company’s internal investigator.
Ezoic
Claire looked back at her husband. He was still smiling across the table, completely relaxed, with no awareness of what was crossing the room toward him.
The woman in the suit walked directly to Andrew’s table and set a folder in front of him.
Ezoic
She told him, in a voice that was calm enough to make it more unsettling, not to leave. She said they needed to speak with him regarding company funds and a series of unauthorized reimbursements.
The color left Andrew’s face almost immediately.
What the Folder Contained
The room, which had been full of the normal noise of a busy restaurant on a weeknight, went quiet in that particular way that happens when something real intrudes on ordinary life.
Ezoic
Andrew straightened in his seat and lowered his voice, the way he always did when he believed he could manage a situation through composure and confidence. He asked what the visit was about.
The investigator, whose name was Melissa Kane, opened the folder.
Ezoic
