Chapter 7: Gerald Fitch
Richard made four calls before midnight.
The first was to Grace at the DA's office.
The second was to the Thorne Group's head of internal security — a man named Callum Reid who had worked for Richard's firm before Marcus hired him away three years ago.
The third was to a forensic accountant named Adrienne Moss who had untangled two corporate fraud cases for Richard in the past decade.
The fourth was to Khloe.
She answered on the first ring.
"Gerald Fitch," she said before he could speak.
"You know him?"
"He voted against the maternity leave expansion at the last board meeting.
He looked at me the entire time he did it." A pause.
"I thought it was just arrogance.
Tell me what you have."
"Not enough yet.
But Callum is pulling his access logs and communication records from the internal system tonight.
If he's been in contact with Isabella through company channels, we'll find it."
"And if he used personal devices?"
"Then we look at what he's been voting on and what the Thorne Group has been doing in response.
Pressure leaves a pattern."
Khloe was quiet for a moment.
"Marcus said Fitch has known about the merger arrangement for two years," she said.
"That's before I was in the picture.
Before the wedding.
Before any of this."
"Yes."
"Which means Marcus has been managing two separate threats simultaneously.
Isabella and Fitch.
And he chose to manage both of them quietly instead of exposing either one."
"That's what it looks like."
"He thought he was protecting the company," she said.
"He was actually giving both of them more time."
"Khloe." Richard's voice was careful.
"How are you doing.
Not the case.
You."
A long pause.
"I keep thinking about the dinners," she said.
"The ones where I thought everything was fine.
I'd be sitting across from him and I'd think — we're good.
We're actually good.
And the whole time—" She stopped.
"I wasn't wrong about loving him.
I was wrong about what I was looking at."
"Those aren't the same thing."
"I know." Her voice steadied.
"That's what makes it hard."
The line was quiet for a moment.
"Get some sleep," Richard said.
"I'll be there at seven."
"Richard.
When you talk to Callum — tell him to look specifically at board votes in the last eight months.
Anything where Fitch's position shifted unexpectedly.
If he's been leveraged, the votes will show it."
"Already on the list."
"And tell Adrienne I want to see the merger documents myself.
Whatever Isabella had.
I want to read them before the DA does."
"I'll see what I can do."
"Don't see what you can do.
Make it happen." A pause, softer.
"Please."
"I will," he said.
"Goodnight, Khloe."
She set the phone down.
The room was quiet except for the monitor.
She pressed her hand flat against her stomach and felt her daughter move — a slow, rolling shift, like a question being asked from the inside.
"I know," Khloe said quietly.
"I'm working on it."
At 2:14 a.m., Callum Reid sent Richard a single message.
*Fitch accessed Isabella Rossi's personnel file six times in the last three months.
She was never a Thorne Group employee.
He had no reason to pull that file.
I've got the timestamps and his login credentials on each access.
There's more.
Call me.*
Richard forwarded it to Khloe without comment.
May you like
She read it at 2:19 a.m.
She didn't sleep after that.
