“She still has the master key card she kept after her promotion.”

Julian looked up at me, his eyes narrowing.

“Why would she copy Ethan’s private files?” he asked.

“Because she is starting to realize he is going down,” I said.

“She is smart enough to look for an escape hatch.”

“If Ethan is freezing corporate accounts, he is probably freezing her personal access too.”

“She wants leverage to protect herself.”

We looked at the screen as the file directory continued to populate on Julian’s phone.

One file stood out, labeled with a timestamp from the night of the blizzard.

“Look at the date on that audio file,” Julian said, pointing to the screen.

“December fourteenth.”

“The night you went missing in the storm.”

My breath caught in my throat.

“She has something,” I said.

“Something that could destroy him instantly.”

“We need that recording, Julian.”

“But she will not give it to us for free.”

The wind outside rattled the loose wooden windowpane of Mrs. Ramirez’s kitchen.

Wet snow began to pelt the glass, a soft, scratching sound.