Chapter 7 - A Meeting That Never Happened
My old deployment orders were not a magic key to victory.
They were one part of a chain that needed to be assembled carefully.
Reyes helped me obtain certified records verifying that I had been outside the country on the day of the alleged board meeting.
An airline itinerary alone could be questioned; official movement records and corroborating duty logs would be harder to explain away.
Dana mapped the supposed meeting against the corporate filing dates.
The entity that allegedly held the vote had not even been registered until the following month.
We now had two independent contradictions.
I asked Martin to preserve the original minutes, signature files, office access records and related correspondence.
His response accused me of harassment and excessive discovery.
The next morning Preston filed an emergency request for sanctions, claiming I had obtained confidential company records improperly.
The accompanying affidavit identified Elena Price as a disgruntled former employee.
He made her sound vindictive, unstable and desperate.
I recognized the tactic because I had seen versions of it used against witnesses who frightened powerful people.
Elena called, crying quietly.
"They sent a letter to my new employer," she said.
"It says I stole trade secrets."
"Do not destroy anything," I told her.
"And please speak with your own attorney before you respond."
She asked whether I still believed her.
"I believe the records deserve independent examination."
It was the fairest answer I could give.
Later, Leah found me staring at the empty wall where I had planned to hang photographs.
"You sound like you're back in court every minute," she said.
"I have to be careful."
"Careful doesn't have to mean alone."
I finally told her how frightened I was of being held liable for money I had never borrowed.
She did not offer a comforting guarantee.
She sat beside me and helped label another evidence box.
That evening Elena sent a second photograph.
It showed a ledger entry marked PROJECT HARBOR.
The beneficiary field contained a familiar address.
May you like
It belonged to Vivian Hale.
