Chapter 20
The Dead Auditor
Gideon Park had been found in his car at the harbor, ruled an accident after a late-night meeting.
Rowan could not reopen a death from a decade ago on Mara’s suspicion. She could request the file if Mara found a connection to the active fraud case.
Adrian gave her one: Park’s name appeared in the retention folder as a deleted custodian account. Someone had accessed it three days before the Mariner inspection.
“Who has access?” Mara asked, her fingers tapping nervously against the cool wooden surface of the conference table.
“People above Celeste,” Adrian said, the weight of his words settling in the room like a storm cloud.
The answer changed the scale of the case. Celeste was not the ceiling; she was the person placed in front of it.
At Mariner House, the atmosphere felt electric. The lobby, typically a place of muted conversations and quick exchanges, buzzed with tension. Della stood at the center, her face pale, as she announced her decision to take the buyout. The murmurs swelled into a chorus of discontent, casting her in a harsh light.
“Della, really?” one voice called out, a woman with sharp features and a reputation for being the office's moral compass. Others chimed in, their words laced with disbelief and accusation.
Nia, perched on the edge of her seat, held up a hand, silencing the crowd. “She gets to live,” Nia said, her voice steady but her eyes darting around, gauging the reactions. “The question is what they want her to say before she does.”
Della’s gaze locked onto Mara’s, a plea wrapped in desperation. “They gave me a script,” she whispered, her voice barely a breath above the chaos surrounding them.
Mara leaned in closer, her heart pounding against her ribcage, the sound almost drowning out the clamor. “What kind of script?”
Della’s eyes flickered to the exit, her body trembling like she were about to bolt. “It’s not just a script. They want me to say things that aren’t true. Things that could hurt people—people I care about.”
Mara's mind raced. This wasn’t just about Della anymore; this was about the entire scheme that had brought them all to this moment. “You can’t let them use you like that,” she urged, her voice low and intense. “We need to find out who’s behind this. You can’t just walk away.”
The lobby was closing in around them. The faces of her colleagues, once familiar and friendly, now felt like a jury, waiting to pass judgment. Mara’s fingers tightened around the edge of the table, grounding her. “What will you do, Della? Are you going to play their game?”
Della’s lip quivered, the weight of her choice clear in the air. “I don’t know,” she admitted, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I don’t want to end up like Gideon.”
Mara swallowed hard, the mention of Gideon Park’s name sending a chill down her spine. “We need to find out who accessed that account. If it connects to Gideon, it could blow this whole thing wide open. But you have to trust me, Della. We can protect you.”
Della hesitated, her gaze flicking between Mara and the sea of judging faces behind her. “What if they find out I talked to you?”
“They already know,” Adrian interjected, stepping forward with an urgency that drew Della’s attention. “They’re watching us. They’re always watching.”
Mara nodded in agreement, the gravity of their situation settling like a stone in her stomach. “You need to decide now. Are you going to stay silent and let them control your narrative, or are you going to fight back?”
Della’s hands trembled as she clutched her phone, the weight of her decision hanging heavily in the air. “I—I need time.”
“Time is the one thing we don’t have,” Mara said, her voice firm. “We need to act before they do.”
As Della glanced around the lobby, the pressure of the moment seemed to crystallize her resolve. “Okay,” she finally said, her voice steadier, determination flickering in her eyes. “I’ll do it. I’ll tell you everything.”
Before Mara could respond, the lobby doors swung open, and a figure stepped inside—a tall man in a crisp suit, his presence commanding immediate attention. The crowd fell silent, eyes widening in recognition.
“Mr. Davenport,” Nia whispered, her expression shifting from concern to fear.
Mara felt a jolt of adrenaline. The game was changing, and they were running out of time. Della’s choice had consequences beyond her understanding, and the stakes were about to rise dramatically.