For the first time in years, he felt as though someone had given him an instruction worth following.
The flight continued.
Outside, the clouds stretched beneath the aircraft like an endless white ocean.
Emily had been watching Richard for several minutes.
She did not trust him.
She wanted to, perhaps, but trust was not something she could simply hand to a wealthy stranger because he appeared regretful.
She remembered the years after her mother's dismissal.
She remembered the eviction notice on their apartment door.
She remembered Margaret selling her jewelry to pay for medical appointments.
She remembered the day her mother received another letter from the company, informing her that violating the confidentiality agreement could result in legal consequences.
Most of all, she remembered Margaret sitting beside her at the kitchen table, trying to smile while pretending everything would eventually become all right.
"Mom," Emily had asked once, "why don't you tell people what happened?"
Margaret had looked at her daughter for a long time.
"Because sometimes the truth is not enough when the other side has more money, more influence, and more people willing to protect it."
Emily had never forgotten those words.
Now the man who had once controlled the company was sitting only a few feet away.
He looked older than she remembered from the photographs.
His expression was different, too.
But she could not tell whether his sadness was genuine or simply the discomfort of someone discovering that his past might damage his reputation.
She had learned to be cautious.
"Mommy?" Lily whispered.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Can I ask Mr. Whitmore something?"
Emily hesitated.
"What do you want to ask?"
"Can I ask him if he likes Grandma's apple pie?"
Emily almost smiled.
"Why?"
"Because Grandma always said he liked it."
Emily looked across the aisle.
Richard was reading something on his phone.
"Maybe later."
Lily nodded.
A few moments passed.
Then she leaned toward her mother.
"Mommy, I think he misses Grandma."
Emily looked away.
She did not want to discuss that possibility.
Missing someone after they were gone was easy.
The harder thing was showing up while they were still alive.
Approximately forty minutes into the flight, Richard received an encrypted message from Daniel.
It contained a preliminary document scan.
The file was labeled:
INTERNAL INVESTIGATION — MARGARET ELLIS — 2017
Richard opened it.
The first page contained the familiar allegations.
Two million dollars had allegedly been transferred from a corporate development account into an unauthorized external account.
The transfer had been approved using Margaret's employee credentials.
The report stated that she had attempted to conceal the transaction by modifying several accounting entries.
Richard scrolled through the document.
The evidence appeared convincing.
There were digital signatures, transaction numbers, authorization codes, and a list of internal communications.
But something caught his attention.
The transfer had occurred on a Sunday.
Margaret had not worked Sundays.
Richard knew this because she had been responsible for caring for her elderly mother, who required assistance every weekend.
He continued reading.
The authorization had been completed at 11:47 p.m.
Yet the office access records showed that Margaret had left the building at 5:18 p.m.
He frowned.
How could she have approved a transfer from a computer she had not accessed?
He opened the attached audit log.
The report claimed that the transaction originated from Margaret's workstation.
But the device identification number was unfamiliar.
Richard called Daniel again.
"Why is the device identification different from the workstation Margaret used?"
Daniel sounded surprised.
"You noticed that?"
"Yes."
"I was going to mention it. The device number belongs to an administrative terminal located in the finance department."
"Whose terminal?"
"Robert Collins's office."
Richard stopped breathing for a moment.
"Are you certain?"
"The original access records identify the terminal, sir."
Richard closed the document.
"Then why does the final report claim the transaction came from Margaret's workstation?"
"I don't know."
"Find out."
Daniel was silent.
Then he said something that made Richard's stomach tighten.
"Sir, there is another problem."
"What?"
"The account that received the two million dollars was closed shortly after the investigation began."
"Who owned it?"
"The account was registered to a company called Northbridge Consulting."
Richard searched his memory.
He had heard the name before.
"Who controlled Northbridge?"
"That is what we're trying to establish."
Richard looked toward Emily.
She was watching him now.
He quickly lowered his phone.