Chapter 8 - The Room That Had Been Entered
Evelyn returned to the capital under state escort just before dawn.
Naomi insisted.
The investigation at the station could continue without her, but a digital intrusion traced to Evelyn’s apartment transformed her from a conflicted attorney into a possible target.
The apartment door showed no damage.
Nothing inside appeared disturbed.
Her laptop remained on the desk. Her credential card rested in the locked drawer where she had left it.
Naomi’s forensic specialist examined the lock.
“No forced entry.”
“I live alone,” Evelyn said.
“Who has a key?”
“My mother has an emergency copy.”
Miriam stood behind them.
“I have never used it.”
“Anyone else?” Naomi asked.
“The building manager.”
“And your office security team?”
“No.”
The specialist opened the drawer and scanned the credential card.
“It was cloned.”
Evelyn looked at him. “How?”
“Someone placed a reader close enough to capture the chip handshake. It could have happened at work, in court, during a security check or through this drawer if they entered the apartment.”
Naomi examined the room.
“What were you working on yesterday morning?”
“A sealed corruption case involving municipal bond fraud.”
“Connected to Grayhaven?”
“No.”
“Connected to Voss Development?”
Evelyn thought about the case documents.
One contractor had appeared briefly in a financial appendix.
Meridian Civic Holdings.
She opened her laptop and searched the file.
Meridian Civic Holdings had guaranteed a loan used by Voss Development to purchase waterfront property.
Miriam read over her shoulder.
“Meridian.”
“You know that name?”
“Thomas wrote it in one of his notebooks.”
“What did he say?”
“Only that Meridian was not a company. It was a route.”
“A route for what?”
“Money. Property. Evidence. People.”
Evelyn searched the state corporation database.
Meridian Civic Holdings had been created seventeen years earlier. Its registered agent was a law firm that no longer existed. Its current mailing address belonged to a government records warehouse.
Naomi called from the bedroom.
“You need to see this.”
Behind the nightstand, the specialist had found a tiny wireless transmitter connected to the wall outlet.
It had been positioned to capture sound from Evelyn’s work area.
Naomi looked at her.
“How long have you discussed confidential cases in this apartment?”
“Three years.”
“Then assume they heard everything.”
Miriam sat down slowly.
Evelyn saw guilt cross her face.
“This is not your fault,” Evelyn said.
“They entered your life because of Thomas.”
“They entered my life because someone believed I would never look behind me.”
Her phone rang.
Attorney General Helena Ward’s name appeared on the screen.
Naomi raised one finger, signaling that the call should be recorded.
Evelyn answered.
“Helena.”
“I heard about Grayhaven,” the Attorney General said. “Are you safe?”
“Yes.”
“And your mother?”
“She is safe.”
“I am sending protection.”
“Naomi Bell is already here.”
A pause.
“Naomi should be managing the station investigation, not standing in your apartment.”
“We discovered an unauthorized device.”
Another pause, shorter this time.
“What kind of device?”
Evelyn looked at Naomi.
She had not told Helena what they found.
“A listening device.”
“Do not touch it.”
“We already secured it.”
Helena exhaled.
“Evelyn, step away from this matter. You are emotionally compromised.”
“Captain Ross detained my mother without a lawful record.”
“And he will answer for that. But you cannot turn an assault complaint into a personal investigation of everyone who knew your father.”
“I did not mention my father.”
Silence filled the call.
Helena recovered quickly.
“Grayhaven contacted my chief of staff. They said old allegations were being raised.”
“Who contacted him?”
“I do not know.”
“Then how did you know the allegations involved Thomas?”
Helena’s voice hardened.
“Come to my office at nine.”
“For what?”
“To protect your career.”
The line ended.
Naomi looked at the recording device on the table.
“She knows more than she said.”
Miriam walked to the window.
Across the street, an unmarked dark sedan was parked beneath a tree.
Its headlights switched on.
Before Naomi’s agents could reach the street, the vehicle drove away.
The specialist checked the listening device again.
A small memory chip was hidden beneath its casing.
It did not contain recordings of Evelyn.
It contained a photograph.
Thomas Hart stood beside a younger Helena Ward outside the Grayhaven bus terminal.
May you like
Between them was Captain Ross.
The date printed on the photograph was three days after Thomas’s official death.
