Chapter 7
Date Number Three Has Notes
Ben refused to read Malcolm's statement.
Instead he tore the envelope in half on live radio and asked Nora what she wanted to eat.
"That may be the most attractive thing anyone has done this week," she said.
Theo, watching through the studio glass because Esme had invited him as "technical balance," looked down at his coffee.
The date went well. Ben taught history, had two teenage sons, and asked questions without turning Nora's answers into evidence for his own theory. When he touched her wrist, she liked it. The realization felt clean and disloyal to no one.
Then Ben recognized the signature on Theo's report.
"You signed the closure recommendation," he said through the glass.
Theo entered when Esme opened the studio door. "I signed a safety closure, not demolition."
"The council packet uses your conclusion."
Nora watched Theo read the final page. His signature remained. Two paragraphs above it had been replaced.
The altered version said repair was economically irrational.
Theo called Malcolm on speaker. His brother did not deny changing it.
"You signed for the firm," Malcolm said. "The firm finished the work."
Theo's professional defense could save him and weaken Nora: he could claim the report belonged to Mercer Urban, making every leaked document proprietary.
He looked at her through the glass.
"Publish both versions," he told Esme.
The broadcast ended with Ben offering Nora a real second date and Theo handing the radio station permission to destroy his own firm.