By 6:30 p.m., Evelyn Carter was sitting inside a private conference room at Skybridge Airlines' headquarters.
Her wet sweater had been replaced with a clean white blouse borrowed from the airport's executive assistance office. Her laptop had been sealed inside a protective evidence bag, and the IT department had begun assessing the damage.
Daniel Brooks sat opposite her.
Beside him were two senior executives: Margaret Collins, the company's Chief Financial Officer, and Thomas Reed, the Director of Human Resources.
A large screen displayed a series of internal documents.
"Before we discuss Richard," Daniel began, "we need to establish what happened before your appointment."
Evelyn opened her notebook.
"Go ahead."
Margaret connected her laptop to the conference screen.
"Over the last six months, our commercial department has reported unusually high expenses. Several regional advertising contracts exceeded their approved budgets."
"How much?" Evelyn asked.
"Approximately four million dollars."
Evelyn stopped writing.
"Four million?"
"Yes. The invoices were approved through Richard's department."
Thomas added, "Three employees raised concerns about the payments. All three resigned within two months."
Evelyn looked up.
"Did they provide written complaints?"
"Two did. The third submitted an anonymous report."
"Where are those reports now?"
Margaret clicked through several folders.
"That's the problem. The original records appear to have been deleted from the shared system."
Evelyn leaned forward.
"Deleted by whom?"
"The access logs indicate that the files were modified using an executive-level account."
Daniel folded his hands.
"Richard's account."
Silence filled the room.
Evelyn slowly closed her notebook.
"So this isn't simply a case of inappropriate behavior."
"No," Daniel replied. "We believe there may be financial misconduct."
Margaret displayed another document.
It was a payment authorization form connected to a marketing agency based in New York.
The agency had received substantial payments for advertising services that could not be verified.
Evelyn examined the details.
"Who owns this company?"
Margaret enlarged the registration information.
"An individual named Peter Lawson."
"Does Richard know him?"
Daniel exchanged a glance with Margaret.
"They attended university together."
Evelyn exhaled.
"Of course they did."
Thomas placed another folder on the table.
"We also discovered that Richard personally approved several contracts despite being required to disclose potential conflicts of interest."
"Has legal reviewed these documents?"
"They are reviewing them now."
Evelyn stood and walked toward the window.
Below, cars moved through the evening traffic while the city gradually disappeared into darkness.
She thought about the flight attendant.
She thought about the other employees who had probably endured Richard's behavior for years.
And she thought about how easily the company might have continued ignoring the problem if she had not been sitting in seat 2A that afternoon.
"How many employees have reported him?" she asked.
Thomas checked his notes.
"At least eleven formal complaints over the last three years."
"Eleven?"
"Yes."
"What happened to them?"
"Most were classified as interpersonal disagreements. Several were closed without further investigation."
Evelyn turned around.
"Who approved those decisions?"
Thomas looked uncomfortable.
"Richard's previous supervisor."
"Name?"
"James Whitmore."
Daniel immediately intervened.
"James retired last year. We should focus on the current investigation."
Evelyn looked at him.
"That's exactly what we're doing. But if previous supervisors ignored complaints, we need to understand why."
Daniel nodded reluctantly.
"Agreed."
At that moment, Evelyn's phone vibrated.
An unknown number had sent her a message.
You should stop investigating Richard. You have no idea who you're dealing with.
She stared at the screen.
Then another message arrived.
Some people at this company have been protecting him for years.
Evelyn showed the phone to Daniel.
His face became serious.
"Did you receive this before?"
"No."
"Forward it to our security team."
Evelyn took a screenshot.
"Already done."
Margaret looked toward the conference room door.
"Should we contact the police?"
"Not yet," Daniel replied. "Let's establish what we have first."
Evelyn returned to her chair.
"Daniel, I want Richard's access to all company systems suspended immediately, pending the investigation. I also want the original complaint records recovered and every relevant email preserved."
"That can be arranged."
"And nobody contacts the employees who previously reported him until we have established an independent reporting process."
Thomas nodded.
"I'll coordinate with HR."
Evelyn looked at the threatening message again.
The person who had sent it had made one serious mistake.
They had assumed fear would make her stop.
Instead, it had confirmed that she was looking in exactly the right direction.