I froze.

The Redmond site was the commercial park that had established Hayes Development as a major player in the Pacific Northwest.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Nathan signed off on those reports, Claire,” Victor said.

I could hear the rain pouring on his end, the sound of traffic in the background.

“He knew the soil samples were contaminated with lead from the old foundry,” Victor said.

My heart began to beat faster.

“He altered the lab results so we could get the banking permits approved,” Victor said.

I looked at Evelyn, but her face remained expressionless.

“You’re lying,” I said. “Nathan would never do that.”

“Ask him,” Victor said. “Ask your best friend if he wants to go down with me. Because if I go to federal prison for bank fraud, Nathan is coming with me.”

The line went dead.

I slowly lowered the phone to my lap.

The room felt suddenly colder.

“What did he say?” Diane asked.

“He mentioned the Redmond site,” I said, looking at Evelyn. “He said Nathan altered the environmental reports in 2016.”

Evelyn’s eyes narrowed.