Chapter 12 - No More Locked DoorsAdam did not touch the flash drive.
That was the first thing Nora noticed.
The old Adam would have plugged it into his laptop immediately.
The lawyer in him would have wanted information before anyone else had it.
The frightened husband in him would have wanted control.
Instead he stepped backward.
“We call Rebecca.”
Nora stared.
“Now?”
“Now.”
Special Counsel Rebecca Sloan arrived ninety minutes later with two federal agents and a forensic technician.
Caleb arrived ten minutes after that because Nora had called him.
Adam opened the front door.
Caleb looked past him.
“Where's Nora?”
“Hello to you too.”
“Adam.”
“Living room.”
Caleb entered and found Nora holding Hope.
“What happened?”
Nora handed him a photograph of Daniel.
Caleb read the note.
His expression changed.
“I know that name.”
Adam turned.
“How?”
“Meridian tried selling Ross Global a hospital portfolio seven years ago.”
Nora frowned.
“What happened?”
“We walked away.”
“Why?”
Caleb looked at Adam.
“Numbers didn't make sense.”
Adam's jaw tightened.
Rebecca entered from the basement.
“We have the drive.”
“Can you open it?” Nora asked.
“Not here.”
Adam nodded.
“Take it.”
Rebecca studied him.
“You understand that whatever is on this device could implicate you?”
“Yes.”
“And you're voluntarily surrendering it?”
“Yes.”
Nora watched him.
Rebecca took the drive.
Before leaving, she said, “Do not contact Richard Hale.”
Adam almost smiled.
“He's in federal prison.”
“Men in federal prison still have telephones.”
After the agents left, silence filled the house.
Caleb sat on the couch.
Nora paced.
Adam stood near the window.
Finally Caleb said, “Someone sent that photograph for a reason.”
“Sophie,” Nora replied.
“Maybe.”
Adam looked over.
“What does that mean?”
Caleb leaned forward.
“If Sophie already knew you possessed evidence, why send an anonymous letter before calling?”
Adam stopped.
Nora did too.
“She wanted us to find the drive,” Nora said.
“Or someone else did.”
Hope began fussing.
Adam automatically crossed the room and took her.
She grabbed his collar.
The ordinary gesture made Nora's chest ache.
This was what terrified her.
They had finally built something quiet.
Breakfast disasters.
Pediatric appointments.
Arguments about laundry.
Hope's toys under every piece of furniture.
Their second wedding.
Ordinary happiness.
Now Adam's old life had found their address.
That evening, after Caleb left, Nora stood in the nursery while Adam put Hope to sleep.
“You knew Meridian was questionable.”
Adam continued rocking their daughter.
“Yes.”
“You accepted the money.”
“Yes.”
“For almost a year.”
“Yes.”
Nora hated how calmly he admitted it.
Part of her wanted him to defend himself.
Because anger was easier when the other person resisted it.
“Say something else.”
Adam looked at her.
“What?”
“Explain.”
“I don't have an explanation that makes it better.”
“Try.”
He glanced down at Hope.
“I was thirty-four. Richard had just made me partner.”
Nora remembered that year.
Adam had worked fourteen-hour days.
Bought his first Porsche.
Started measuring human beings by how useful they were.
“I wanted what he had,” Adam continued. “Power. Clients. Rooms where everyone listened when he spoke.”
“And two-point-four million dollars.”
“Yes.”
Nora looked away.
Adam's voice softened.
“I knew the transfer was unusual.”
“But you kept it.”
“Yes.”
“Why return it?”
“Because Daniel disappeared.”
Nora looked back.
Adam's face had changed.
“I saw the news story. Missing executive. Car found near Lake Geneva.”
“And suddenly you were scared.”
“Yes.”
“Not moral.”
“No.”
The honesty hurt.
“I returned every dollar.”
“To Richard?”
“To an escrow account.”
“Why didn't you report it?”
Adam looked down.
“Cowardice.”
One word.
No decoration.
Nora sat in the rocking chair opposite him.
“You understand why this scares me?”
“Yes.”
“I'm marrying you again because I believed the man who hid things from me was gone.”
Adam's eyes met hers.
“He is.”
“Then prove it.”
Adam stood.
He carried Hope to the crib and tucked the blanket around her.
Then he left the room.
Nora followed.
Adam opened his home office safe.
Inside were financial records, property documents, legal files.
He removed everything.
“What are you doing?”
“Showing you every door.”
He gave her passwords.
Accounts.
Old partnership records.
Investment statements.
Even an embarrassing spreadsheet titled RETIREMENT SCENARIOS — DO NOT PANIC.
Nora almost smiled.
Then Adam placed his phone on the desk.
“Passcode is Hope's birthday.”
“I don't want your phone.”
“I know.”
“Adam—”
“You asked me to prove there are no locked doors.”
He looked at her.
“So I'm opening them.”
Nora's anger softened, but didn't disappear.
“I don't want surveillance.”
“Neither do I.”
“I want trust.”
“I know.”
“And trust isn't passwords.”
Adam nodded.
“It's what I do when you aren't checking.”
Exactly.
Nora stared at him.
Then his laptop chimed.
An email.
From Rebecca.
SUBJECT: VOSS DRIVE — PRELIMINARY FINDINGS.
Adam did not open it.
He looked at Nora.
“Together?”
That mattered.
Nora sat beside him.
“Together.”
Adam clicked.
Rebecca's message contained only four lines.
The drive had been encrypted.
Investigators had recovered part of the contents.
Daniel Voss had documented a network of fraudulent hospital-property transactions.
And one entity appeared repeatedly.
HAVEN HOUSE ANN ARBOR PROPERTY — ORIGINAL PARCEL.
Nora stopped breathing.
Adam read the final sentence.
We need you both in our office tomorrow.
Nora whispered, “Why me?”
May you like
Adam's eyes remained on the screen.
“Because I think the building I donated to Haven House was bought with dirty money.”
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