Chapter 8
I recognized Thomas's voice immediately.
Even through the faint static.
Even after everything that had happened.
It was unmistakable.
"If Nia goes to the board, we're finished."
Another voice answered.
Richard.
"Then we need to make sure the board never sees those documents."
I stared at the recorder.
My hands began trembling.
Rachel watched me carefully.
"There's more."
I nodded.
She pressed play again.
Thomas spoke.
"I don't care how you do it. The records cannot leave this building."
Richard answered.
"I'll handle the finance approvals. Victoria can deal with anyone asking questions."
A long pause followed.
Then Thomas said, "And Rachel?"
Richard laughed.
"She's loyal to Nia."
Thomas's reply was quiet.
"Then she'd better learn where her loyalty belongs."
Rachel stopped the recording.
Nobody spoke.
I looked at her.
"When was this?"
"The night before your hospitalization."
My throat tightened.
"How did you record it?"
Rachel looked down.
"I had started recording a voice memo for the meeting notes. I heard them arguing in the conference room and forgot to stop it."
Daniel leaned forward.
"Was the recording continuous?"
"Yes."
"Do you still have the original device?"
Rachel nodded.
"It's in my bag."
Daniel carefully explained that investigators would need to authenticate the recording and establish the circumstances in which it was made.
Rachel agreed.
Then I asked the question that had been tormenting me.
"Did Thomas do something to cause my medical emergency?"
Rachel looked at me.
"I don't know."
Her honesty frightened me more than a confident accusation would have.
She continued.
"I found you collapsed near your desk. Thomas wasn't there when I entered."
I listened.
"You were conscious for a moment. You asked me to call Marcus."
Tears filled my eyes.
"I remember calling him."
Rachel nodded.
"Then you lost consciousness."
"Did Thomas come back?"
"Not until after the ambulance left."
I looked at the briefcase.
"That's when he tried to take my evidence."
Rachel shook her head.
"He took your briefcase. But he didn't know I'd already removed the red folder."
I stared at her.
"You did that?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I had heard the recording. I knew he was afraid of those papers."
Her voice broke.
"I put them in my car before the ambulance arrived."
I reached for her hand.
"You may have saved this company."
She shook her head.
"I should have spoken sooner."
"You were frightened."
"Richard told me that if I accused Thomas, he'd ruin my career."
She wiped her cheeks.
"And then Victoria told me they could make it look like I'd stolen the money."
Daniel's expression hardened.
"Do you have evidence of those threats?"
Rachel nodded.
"Messages. Emails. Voicemails."
She opened another envelope.
"I kept everything."
For a long time, we reviewed what she had brought.
The investigators took custody of the original records with Rachel's consent.
They documented the files.
They compared dates.
And they began building a clear timeline.
By the end of the day, the evidence had become too serious to remain only an internal investigation.
Daniel contacted the appropriate law enforcement authorities.
The company provided the financial records and video evidence.
Rachel and Evelyn agreed to give statements through their attorneys.
And the board formally removed Thomas from his leadership duties pending the legal process.
I expected to feel relieved.
Instead, I felt hollow.
That evening, I sat alone in my office.
The city lights glowed beyond the windows.
For the first time in months, I opened the photograph of my mother that stood on my desk.
She had worked as a hospital housekeeper for twenty-seven years.
Her hands had been rough.
Her shoes had always been worn.
But she had carried herself with a dignity nobody could take away.
I remembered something she used to tell me.
"Nia, never confuse somebody's position with their worth."
I looked at the photograph.
"I'm trying, Mama."
A knock came at the door.
Marcus entered.
He carried two paper cups of tea.
"You look terrible."
I laughed weakly.
"Thank you."
He handed me a cup.
"You're welcome."
Then he sat beside me.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
Finally, I said, "I trusted him."
"I know."
"He was there when Mama died."
"I know."
"He knew how much this company meant to me."
Marcus looked at me.
"That's why betrayal hurts."
I wiped my eyes.
"I keep wondering what I missed."
He shook his head.
"Don't turn his choices into your failure."
I looked down.
"But I was responsible."
"You're responsible for fixing the systems that failed. You're not responsible for choosing his dishonesty."
I leaned against his shoulder.
For the first time that week, I allowed myself to cry.
My phone rang.
Margaret.
I answered.
"Nia, the investigators have completed another review."
I straightened.
"What did they find?"
"Richard appears to have approved payments after the vendors were flagged internally."
I closed my eyes.
"Who flagged them?"
She hesitated.
"Several employees."
"Names?"
"Three from accounting. Two from procurement."
I felt sick.
More people had tried to warn us.
More people had been ignored.
Margaret continued.
"One of the accounting employees was transferred after questioning the invoices."
"What happened to the others?"
"Two resigned. One was placed on disciplinary probation."
I stood.
"Contact every one of them."
"We are."
"And make sure they have independent support."
Margaret paused.
"There's one more development."
I gripped the phone.
"What?"
"Victoria's attorney contacted us."
I frowned.
"Why?"
"She wants to cooperate with investigators."
Marcus looked at me.
I walked toward the window.
"What does she want in exchange?"
"Her attorney hasn't specified."
I exhaled.
"Tell Daniel to handle it."
Margaret hesitated.
"Nia, Victoria claims Thomas and Richard instructed her to silence employees who asked questions."
I closed my eyes.
That wasn't surprising.
But it didn't excuse her behavior.
"She still made her own choices," I said.
"I agree."
"Then let her tell the truth."
I ended the call.
Marcus stood beside me.
"Do you think she'll cooperate?"
"I don't know."
He looked toward the city.
"And Thomas?"
I stared at my reflection in the glass.
"He'll have the chance to answer the evidence through the legal process."
The following morning, I learned that investigators had obtained additional bank records.
Several transfers led to an overseas account connected to Thomas.
And one transfer had been made only hours after Victoria and Richard were dismissed.
Someone had tried to move the remaining money.
But the receiving institution had flagged the transaction for review.
Daniel entered my office with the report.
"Nia, this could be the breakthrough."
I looked at the transfer date.
Then at the authorization records.
A familiar name appeared.
Not Thomas.
Not Richard.
Not Victoria.
Margaret Ellis.
My board chairwoman.
The woman who had stood beside me during every confrontation.
The woman I had trusted to help uncover the truth.
May you like
I stared at her name.
And whispered, "Please tell me there's an explanation."
