She pointed.
“The blue one.”
Julian handed it to her.
“Feed him.”
Vivian stared at her son.
“Julian, this is hardly the time.”
“I think it’s exactly the time.”
Elena prepared the bottle.
No one spoke as Caleb drank.
In that cramped apartment, surrounded by legal documents and old accusations, Julian watched a ten-month-old child relax because his mother no longer had to wonder how she would feed him that night.
Thirty dollars.
That was the problem Julian had thought he was solving.
He now understood that thirty dollars had merely opened the door.
For illustrative purposes only
One Name in an Archived Folder
Julian stepped into the hallway and called Thomas Hale.
Thomas had served as Crossfield’s vice president of field operations for more than twenty years before leaving abruptly after Julian’s father retired.
At the time, Julian had been told Thomas wanted a quieter life.
Now he wondered whether anyone had ever asked Thomas himself.
The older man answered on the fourth ring.
“Julian?”
“I need to ask about Riverfront Exchange.”
Silence.
Then Thomas said, “What happened?”
“Ryan Brooks.”
The silence grew longer.
Julian closed his eyes.
“You know the name.”
“Yes.”
Behind Julian, Malcolm appeared in the doorway.
Julian turned away from him.
“What happened, Thomas?”
The retired executive exhaled.
“Ryan kept filing equipment complaints. He wasn’t the only one.”
“Why weren’t the replacements approved?”
“They were eventually.”
“Eventually?”
“After the accident.”
Julian gripped the phone.
“Why not before?”
“The project was behind. Every delay triggered penalties. People upstairs were under pressure.”
“From my father?”
“From everybody.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“No,” Thomas said. “It isn’t.”
Julian heard papers moving on the other end.
“I kept copies of some correspondence after I left.”
“Why?”
“Because I learned what happened when people trusted the official archive.”
Julian looked at Malcolm.
The attorney’s controlled expression finally cracked.
Thomas continued.
“Ryan wanted part of his crew reassigned until the equipment was replaced. He was particularly worried about the younger workers.”
Julian felt sick.
“After the accident, the final report said Ryan failed to follow the approved work plan.”
“That’s what I heard.”
“It wasn’t true?”
“Not according to the version I saw.”
Julian lowered his voice.
“Why did you leave Crossfield?”
Thomas hesitated.
“Because I raised questions about Riverfront. Malcolm told me reopening the matter would damage the company and accomplish nothing for Ryan’s family.”
Malcolm heard his name.
“That conversation is being grossly misrepresented.”
Thomas evidently heard him through the phone.
“Is Pierce there?”
“Yes.”
Thomas gave a bitter laugh.
“Of course he is.”
Julian made his decision.
“I want every Riverfront file reviewed by an independent team. Not our internal legal department. Not current executives. Nobody who reported to my father.”
Malcolm stepped toward him.
“Do not do this impulsively.”
Julian ended the call and faced him.
