The recording was played inside a secure conference room at 4:40 p.m.
Only five people were present: Evelyn Carter, Daniel Brooks, Margaret Collins, Robert Hayes, and Michael Foster.
The audio quality was imperfect.
There was background noise, the sound of papers moving, and occasional interference.
But the voices were recognizable.
Richard Blackwell spoke first.
"James, the numbers need to be adjusted before the next quarterly review."
James Whitmore responded.
"I've already told you that the invoices don't match the contracts."
"Then make them match."
"That's not how accounting works."
Richard laughed.
"Don't pretend you haven't done this before."
There was a brief silence.
Then James spoke again.
"I signed those documents because you told me everything had been approved. I'm not doing it again."
Richard's voice became quieter.
"You need to think about your retirement package."
"What does that have to do with this?"
"Everything. You have a comfortable arrangement with this company. You don't want to lose it because of a few accounting questions."
James sounded angry.
"Are you threatening me?"
"I'm reminding you how business works."
The recording continued.
James asked about Peter Lawson's company.
Richard replied that the arrangement had already been approved by people above them.
Then came a sentence that changed the atmosphere inside the room.
"Daniel knows about it. He's been getting his share through the advisory account."
Nobody spoke.
The recording ended several seconds later.
Margaret slowly removed her glasses.
"That is serious."
Daniel remained motionless.
Evelyn turned toward him.
"Do you have an explanation?"
Daniel looked at Robert.
"That recording is not proof of anything."
"Nobody said it was," Robert replied. "But it requires investigation."
Daniel stood.
"This is absurd. Richard could have been lying. You know how he operates."
Evelyn nodded.
"That's possible. Which is why we need to verify everything."
"Then why am I sitting here being treated like a suspect?"
"Because your name appears in the documents."
Daniel's expression hardened.
"I am the CEO of this company."
"And I'm the Vice President of Operations. Neither title places us above scrutiny."
For a moment, Daniel looked as though he might respond angrily.
Instead, he collected his documents.
"I'm leaving."
Robert immediately spoke.
"Mr. Brooks, please don't remove any company records or contact individuals involved in the investigation."
Daniel stopped at the door.
"Are you accusing me of interfering?"
"I'm reminding everyone of the evidence-preservation requirements."
Daniel left without another word.
Margaret watched him disappear.
"I've worked with Daniel for nine years," she said quietly. "I never imagined this."
Evelyn closed her notebook.
"Neither did I."
Later that evening, the independent investigation team confirmed that the recovered files were authentic copies of internal documents. The audio recording still required forensic examination, but the voices and conversation were consistent with the dates provided by Michael.
At 7:30 p.m., Evelyn received another message.
This time, it was from an unknown email address.
The subject line read:
YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PREVIOUS VICE PRESIDENT.
Evelyn opened the message.
It contained a single paragraph.
Richard Blackwell was never the most powerful person in the commercial department. He was only the person who took responsibility when things went wrong. The real decisions were made elsewhere. Ask why the previous Vice President, Laura Mitchell, left the company so suddenly.
Evelyn read the message twice.
She remembered Laura Mitchell.
Laura had served as Vice President of Commercial Operations before Evelyn's appointment. Her departure had been announced as a personal decision, and the company had never provided further details.
Evelyn opened the internal personnel directory.
Laura's employee profile was still there, but her contact information had been removed.
She called Thomas Reed.
"Do you remember Laura Mitchell?"
"Of course."
"Why did she leave?"
Thomas hesitated.
"Officially, she resigned."
"And unofficially?"
"I don't know. There were rumors that she disagreed with the board over several contracts."
"Did she file any complaints?"
"I would need to check the records."
Evelyn looked back at the anonymous email.
"Please do."
After ending the call, she searched through her files until she found Laura's appointment announcement from two years earlier.
Attached was a photograph of Laura standing beside Daniel Brooks at a corporate event.
Evelyn studied the image.
Then she noticed something.
Richard Blackwell was standing behind them.
His expression was different from the arrogant smile she had seen aboard Flight 782.
He looked uncomfortable.
Almost afraid.
Evelyn leaned back.
Perhaps Richard had never been the mastermind.
Perhaps he had been protecting someone.
Her phone rang.
It was Margaret.
"Evelyn, I've found something in the old personnel records."
"What is it?"
"Laura Mitchell didn't simply resign."
Evelyn waited.
"She submitted a formal complaint against the CEO three days before leaving."
Evelyn's grip tightened around the phone.
"What did the complaint say?"
Margaret took a breath.
"She accused Daniel Brooks of authorizing fraudulent supplier contracts."
For several seconds, Evelyn remained silent.
Then she looked toward the dark window.
The woman who had thrown a drink at her might have been arrogant, but the real threat inside Skybridge was far more complicated.
And Evelyn was beginning to understand why so many people had been afraid to speak.