By Thursday afternoon, the investigation had reached a turning point.
Internal Audit had confirmed that several Northstar transactions contained incomplete supporting documentation. The team had also identified duplicate invoice references requiring reconciliation.
However, no final conclusion had been reached about whether the company had suffered a financial loss or whether anyone had acted improperly.
Amara understood why the distinction mattered.
A company could have poor recordkeeping without deliberate wrongdoing. An employee could approve an incomplete document because another department had promised to supply the missing information. A vendor could submit overlapping invoices because of an administrative error.
The purpose of the review was to determine which explanation fit the evidence.
At 1:00 p.m., Jonathan Price invited Amara to a meeting with Internal Audit.
The meeting took place in a secure conference room on the twenty-fourth floor. Two auditors, Margaret Ellis and Samuel Grant, were already seated at the table.
Margaret opened a spreadsheet.
"We've completed the first reconciliation," she explained. "Out of thirty-two Northstar transactions selected for review, eleven require additional documentation. Four contain duplicate invoice references, and three have payment dates that precede the recorded completion dates."
Amara studied the figures.
"Have you confirmed whether the duplicate references represent duplicate payments?"
"Not yet. Two appear to be separate payments for different service periods. The other two remain unresolved."
Samuel added, "We're also examining the approval history. The system records indicate that several transactions were approved using a shared departmental authorization account."
"Can the individual approvers be identified?"
"Possibly. We're reviewing the authentication logs and the system's historical configuration."
Amara made a note.
"Would it help if I compared the payment dates with the project activity reports?"
"Yes," Margaret replied. "That could establish whether the recorded work aligns with the financial timeline."
They spent the next hour examining the available records.
Amara identified several periods when Northstar invoices had increased sharply despite little change in the number of completed projects. She also found that two service descriptions appeared almost identical across different contracts.
The similarities were not conclusive, but they justified further examination.
At the end of the meeting, Samuel placed a separate document on the table.
"There's one additional issue. We located an older contract amendment from three years ago. It appears to establish the original payment structure for Northstar's operational support services."
Amara read the document.
The agreement had been signed before Victoria became senior manager.
The authorized executive was Peter Lawson, the current chief financial officer.
"Does this mean the arrangement was approved at the executive level?" she asked.
"At that time, yes," Jonathan answered. "But we still need to determine whether the subsequent payments complied with the agreement."
Amara looked back at the signature.
Peter Lawson had authorized the original arrangement. His name had also appeared on the email she received the previous day.
The investigation now involved an executive who had significant influence over the company's financial reporting.
She chose her words carefully.
"We should separate the original contract from the later transactions. The initial arrangement may have been legitimate even if some subsequent payments were not adequately documented."
Margaret nodded.
"Agreed. That's why we're tracing each payment separately."
When the meeting ended, Amara returned to the twenty-third floor.
Victoria was waiting beside her desk.
"Can we speak?" the manager asked.
Amara set down her briefcase.
"Certainly."
Victoria led her into a small meeting room. This time, she did not order Amara to sit or close the door sharply. Instead, she remained standing beside the table, looking unusually tired.
"I understand you've been reviewing the Northstar contracts."
"I'm assisting Internal Audit with the operational records."
"I want you to understand something. When I took over this department, it was in terrible condition. Projects were late, employees were leaving, and senior management wanted results immediately."
Amara listened.
"I reorganized the team, renegotiated several contracts, and improved our delivery times. We went from missing targets to consistently meeting them."
"Those achievements should be included in the review," Amara said.
Victoria looked surprised.
"You don't think everything I've done is wrong?"
"I haven't said that. The review should recognize verified improvements as well as identify problems that require correction."
For a moment, Victoria appeared uncertain how to respond.
Then she walked toward the window.
"Peter Lawson was involved in the original Northstar agreement. The arrangement existed before I became a senior manager. I inherited it."
"That information is relevant. Have you provided the original contract and all subsequent amendments to Internal Audit?"
"I've provided the documents I have."
"Then the remaining question is whether the records are complete and whether the payments were properly supported."
Victoria turned sharply.
"You make everything sound so simple."
"It isn't simple. That's why we're checking the evidence."
Victoria stared at her for several seconds.
"Do you know what happens to people who challenge the wrong executives?"
Amara felt the conversation changing.
"Are you asking me to stop the review?"
"I'm telling you that there are things you don't understand."
"Then please explain them through the appropriate process."
Victoria gave a bitter laugh.
"You really believe the process will protect you."
"I believe the process gives us a way to establish the facts fairly."
"And if the facts damage the company?"
"Then the company needs to know about them so it can decide what to do."
Victoria lowered her eyes.
For the first time, she did not look angry.
She looked frightened.
"Peter has powerful friends," she said quietly. "If this investigation reaches the board, people will start protecting themselves. They won't care who is right. They'll care about who survives."
Amara studied her.
"Is there something specific you want to disclose?"
Victoria's expression closed immediately.
"No."
"Then I suggest you cooperate with the review and provide any records that might help clarify the transactions."
Victoria picked up her handbag.
"You think you're helping this company."
"I'm trying to."
"Then you should understand that sometimes the truth creates problems nobody can solve."
She walked toward the door.
Amara remained beside the table.
"Victoria."
The manager stopped without turning.
"If the transactions were legitimate, the records will help demonstrate that. If something went wrong, hiding the information won't make it disappear."
Victoria said nothing.
She left the room and walked back toward her office.
Amara returned to her desk, troubled by the conversation.
Victoria's earlier behavior had been arrogant and controlling. But her latest remarks suggested a deeper concern: the possibility that she had become entangled in decisions made by people with greater authority.
That did not excuse the interference with Amara's work. Nor did it establish that Victoria had committed any wrongdoing.
But it raised another question.
Was Victoria trying to protect herself from the consequences of her own decisions, or was she afraid of someone else's?
At 4:30, Jonathan sent a message requesting that Amara attend a confidential meeting the following morning.
The subject line read:
Northstar Review โ Executive Authorization Records.
The message contained only one additional sentence.
We have identified an approval discrepancy that requires your operational assessment.
Amara saved the invitation.
Then she looked across the office.
Victoria sat alone behind the glass wall of her private room, staring at her computer without typing.
For the first time, the manager did not seem to be watching Amara.
She seemed to be waiting for something.
Something neither of them could control.
And by the next morning, Amara would discover that the missing documents were only one part of a much larger problemโone that had been quietly growing inside Sterling International long before she ever walked through its glass doors.