Part 15:
“I’ve been thinking about Miranda,” Clara said, her voice dropping. “She’s been with me for 2 years. Helped plan Lily’s birthday parties, stayed late when I needed her. How do I reconcile that with what you found?” People aren’t always what they seem. Sometimes they’re exactly what they seem for years until they’re activated.
activated like she’s some kind of sleeper agent. Maybe. Or maybe she’s just someone who made a deal with the wrong people. Debt blackmail threats. There are lots of ways to compromise someone. Clara pulled the chicken from the oven. Golden and perfect. I hate this. Suspecting everyone. It’s temporary.
Once we identify the threat, you can go back to trusting people. Can I? Once you know betrayal is possible, can you ever really trust again? Daniel thought about Sarah, how she’d trusted doctors who’d missed the early signs, trusted treatments that hadn’t worked, trusted a universe that had failed her. Anyway, I don’t know, but I know you can’t live without trying.
The children burst through the back door, Ethan holding the jar triumphantly. We caught a grasshopper. Lily says we can keep him until after dinner, then let him go. His name is George, Lily announced. George the Grasshopper. Of course it is, Clara said, smiling. Wash your hands, both of you. Dinner’s ready. They ate in the casual dining room.
Apparently, there was also a formal one that seated 20 conversation flowing easily around bites of perfectly roasted chicken. Ethan explained his electromagnetic project while Lily listened with genuine interest. Clara asked questions that showed she understood the science. Daniel found himself relaxing in a way he hadn’t in years.
Mom was a teacher, Ethan was saying. She said science was like magic except real. Your mom sounds smart, Clara said gently. She was. Dad says I get my brain from her. And your courage from him, Lily added matterofactly. Ethan beamed at this assessment while Daniel felt his throat tighten. Clara caught his eye across the table.
A moment of shared understanding between single parents navigating the minefield of deceased spouses. After dinner, the children released George the Grasshopper with great ceremony, then settled in the living room with a movie. Daniel and Clara retreated to her study, a woodpanled room lined with books and tactical brilliance.
“I’ve been thinking about our problem,” she said, pouring them both coffee from a service that looked antique. “If Miranda is compromised, we can use that. Feed her false information. Better feed her true information that seems false. Make whoever she’s reporting to doubt their own intelligence. Daniel smiled. You’re devious. I’m a CEO.
It’s basically the same thing. She pulled out a laptop. I had it give me backdoor access to Miranda’s computer. Completely illegal, by the way. I won’t tell if you won’t. They spent the next hour going through Miranda’s files, finding nothing obvious, but several things that didn’t quite fit. Emails deleted but recoverable from the server cache.
Calendar entries that didn’t match Clara’s actual schedule, and then buried in a folder labeled recipes. They found it. These are blueprints, Daniel said, recognizing the technical drawings immediately. Your R&D facility. That’s our most secure building. Biometric scanners armed guards the works. Someone’s planning a physical breach.
Daniel studied the plans. His tactical mind already seen the vulnerabilities. These annotations, someone’s marked the shift changes, the camera blind spots. Miranda doesn’t have access to this information. No, but Marcus did. They looked at each other. The pieces falling into place.
Marcus and Miranda working together or for the same employer. The security chief providing intelligence while the assistant stayed close to the principal. We need to move fast, Daniel said. If they know Marcus is out, they’ll accelerate their timeline. Clara was already typing. I can have the FBI here in an hour. No, not yet.
We don’t know how deep this goes. FBI involvement means reports, investigations, people asking questions. Whoever’s behind this will disappear into the smoke. Then what do you suggest? We let them come. Clara stared at him. You want to use my company as bait? I want to control the engagement.
Right now, they have the initiative. They choose when and where to strike. But if we make them think they’re running out of time, force them to move before they’re ready, we can catch them in the act. Clara’s eyes lit up with understanding. But that’s dangerous. If something goes wrong, I won’t let anything happen to you or Lily. What about you? I’m expendable.
The word hung between them like a challenge. Clara set down her coffee cup with deliberate precision. “No,” she said quietly. “You’re not. Clara, you have a son who needs you. You have” She stopped seeming to catch herself. “You’re not expendable, Daniel. Not to Ethan and not to not to this company.” The weight of what she hadn’t said filled the room.
