The Cost of Silence and the Fall of Hayes Development
The tires hummed against the wet asphalt of Brickell Avenue.
“The 2018 restructuring files,” Nathan said.
His voice was thin, competing with the sound of a distant printer or paper shredder on his end.
“I thought those were destroyed in the server migration three years ago,” I said.
“The digital ones were,” Nathan replied.
I heard the sound of heavy paper rustling, then a deep sigh.
“But Victor kept paper backups in a locked firebox behind the old architectural blueprints,” he said.
I watched the neon signs of a bank flash past through the rain.
“What is in them?” I asked.
“The original side letters,” Nathan said.
He paused, and I could hear his slow, deliberate breathing.
“The ones where he promised Brooke’s shell company a six percent finder’s fee for the offshore land acquisitions,” he said.
My stomach tightened.
“Is Evelyn there with you in Seattle?” I asked.
“No,” Nathan said. “She is still at the Miami office, finalizing the board’s emergency meeting.”
“What are you going to do with the papers?” I asked.
“I am going to scan them and upload them to Evelyn’s secure portal right now,” Nathan said.