Chapter 5: What Malcolm Left Out
I took Rachel's phone to Carol the next morning.
Carol photographed the message, wrote down the number, and handed the phone back without a word.
Then she made a call from her own desk phone, spoke quietly for about two minutes, and hung up.
"That number is registered to a logistics company in Delaware," she said.
"The company is one of three subsidiaries connected to Hale's supply network."
"He's threatening us directly."
"He's testing you." She sat down.
"Hale doesn't threaten people he considers serious.
He tests them first to see if they'll go quiet.
If you go quiet, the threat disappears.
If you don't—" She paused.
"He escalates."
"Then we don't go quiet."
"That's what I'd recommend.
But I want you to understand what that means.
This man has resources.
He has people who watch.
The fact that he knew you'd spoken to me within twenty-four hours tells you something about how he operates."
I thought about the car that had passed slowly outside our house the night Rachel showed me the folder.
"He's been watching for a while," I said.
"Almost certainly."
I asked her what the next step was.
She said she needed to speak with a contact at the federal level before she could tell me.
She said it would take a day, maybe two.
I went home and found Mark sitting at the kitchen table with a man I had never seen before.
Mid-fifties.
Dark jacket.
A leather briefcase open beside him.
"This is Daniel Rourke," Mark said.
"He's my attorney."
Rourke stood and extended his hand.
His grip was firm and his eyes were measuring.
"Mrs.
Callahan," he said.
"I understand this situation has been very difficult for your family."
"That's one word for it."
He smiled briefly.
"I'd like to speak with you about your husband's position.
Mark has been forthcoming with me and I believe there's a path forward here that protects everyone."
"Everyone," I said.
"Your family, yes."
I looked at Mark.
"Has he told you about Victor Hale?"
Rourke answered before Mark could.
"We're aware of Mr.
Hale's involvement."
"And?"
"And Mark's cooperation with the right parties could significantly limit his exposure."
I pulled out a chair and sat down across from both of them.
"I want to hear what Mark told you," I said.
"All of it.
Not a summary.
Not a position.
What he actually told you."
Rourke glanced at Mark.
Mark looked at the table.
"There's something I didn't tell Rachel," he said.
"Something I didn't tell you."
The briefcase was still open.
I could see the edge of a document inside it.
At the top, in small print, was Malcolm's full name.
"Malcolm didn't just buy the sedative," Mark said.
"He was the one who told Hale about Emma's party."
The room was very quiet.
"He told Hale when it was.
Who would be there.
He gave Hale the schedule." Mark's voice was flat.
Empty.
"Malcolm wasn't trying to collect from me.
He was setting up a reason to have Hale's people come to the house."
"Why?"
Mark finally looked up.
"Because I had something on Malcolm.
May you like
Something that could have put him away for a long time.
And he knew I knew it."
