“She knows Claire Ellison.”
The room went silent.
“How?”
“They worked together.”
I gripped the phone.
“At Prescott?”
“No.”
“Northbridge?”
“Yes.”
I stood.
“When?”
“Before Claire went to Prescott.”
“How long before?”
“About eight years ago.”
I looked at Marisol.
She had
gone completely still.
“What did Claire do?”
“Compliance.”
The word hit me.
Ethan’s field.
Financial records.
Approvals.
Missing shipments.
“Did Adrian know?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Does Rebecca?”
“She doesn’t know.”
“What else?”
Ethan hesitated.
“She said Claire left Northbridge suddenly after an internal audit.”
“What happened in the audit?”
“No one ever saw the final report.”
“Why not?”
“It disappeared.”
I closed my eyes.
Of course it did.
“Ethan, why didn’t you tell me Claire worked there?”
“I learned ten minutes ago.”
“Where is Rebecca now?”
“She’s trying to get to Houston.”
“Why?”
Another pause.
Then Ethan said, “Because Claire contacted her last week.”
My eyes opened.
“What?”
“She asked Rebecca about you.”
I stopped breathing.
“About me?”
“Yes.”
“What did she ask?”
