Chapter 19 - THE FINAL MEETING
Mary agreed to meet Ethan in the hotel bar at 8:00 p.m.
Lena hated the plan.
The federal agents hated it more.
Mary went anyway, wired and watched from three directions.
Ethan sat in the same hotel where they had almost married.
For the first time since Mary had met him, he looked ordinary.
He placed the engagement ring between them.
“You always did like dramatic exits,” he said.
“What do you want?”
“Protection.”
“From what?”
“Helen.”
“You’re scared of a seventy-year-old woman?”
“You should be too.”
“Why?”
“Because she has recordings.”
“Of my mother?”
“Of Eleanor Caldwell.”
“Your grandmother bribed people. Threatened people. Buried lawsuits. Helen has enough to turn the Caldwell name toxic.”
“And you want me to stop the prosecution.”
“I want you to tell the company there was no fraud.”
“There was fraud.”
“Then say you authorized the transfers.”
“No.”
“Mary, if those recordings go public, your stock drops, the board fractures, and every reporter in America digs through your family.”
“Maybe they should.”
That was not the answer he expected.
“You keep thinking my goal is to protect the Caldwell name.”
“Isn’t it?”
“No.”
“My goal is to stop you.”
Mary pushed the ring back across the table.
“You can keep that. Sell it. You’re going to need lawyers.”
“You self-righteous—”
Two federal agents approached.
Mary removed the wire receiver from beneath her collar.
“You recorded me.”
“You threatened a witness and asked me to falsify evidence.”
“No. No, you set me up.”
“No, Ethan. I finally stopped helping you set me up.”
Just enough for everyone nearby to see who he really was.
As they dragged him away, Ethan shouted one last thing.
“Ask Helen who leaked the recordings!”
Across the lobby, Claire stood beside Helen.
“What?” Mary asked.
May you like
Claire looked up.
“The recordings are already online.”
