“I thought he was gone.”
“He was. Now he’s back and needs you.”
A week on the job and he’d already learned that the generalcounsel liked to delegate. A lot. Which was fine. At the DA’s office he’d accepted more than his fair share of the load. He was the new kid on the block here, so he should act like it and not complain. Besides, any excuse to not do what he was doing was truly appreciated.
He exited from the screen. “Tell him I’ll be right there.”
She left.
He slipped the list of numbers and his notes back into the desk drawer and closed it with an air of finality, thankful that he could postpone snooping for Hank for a while longer.
Maybe forever.
He hoped.
5:45P.M.
HANK SAT BESIDE THE POOL, LOST IN THOUGHT.
He’d led the electrical union for a long time. Many men had placed their trust in him. And never once had he betrayed that trust. On the contrary, he’d fought hard for every single one of them, friend and foe alike. No one could ever say that he hadn’t done his best. He was reading some information supplied by the national union to locals designed to help with negotiations. It was good to know what others around the country were thinking and doing. The back door to the house opened and Ashley bounded out onto the deck. She was dressed in a pair of denim shorts and an Atlanta Falcons jersey. Flip-flops protected her feet. He was glad to see her.
“What brings you by?” he asked.
She walked over and sat next to him. “Lori Anne’s at a friend’s house. I have to pick her up shortly, so I thought I’d kill a little time here.”
“When’s my granddaughter’s next softball game?”
“Next Wednesday.”
“I’ll be heavy into negotiations, but I’ll be there.”
He never missed a game.
She noticed what he was reading. “You going to have a big fight with the contract?”
“Like always. But nothing new. It’s tough pleasing everybody.”
“But you’re going to try, right?”
He smiled. “Like always. How’s it going with Brent?”
“You tell me. I haven’t heard from him since Saturday.”
“Give him time, little one. This is complicated. More so than Brent even realizes.”
Ashley’s face hardened. “Have you two been talking?”
“I promised you I’d stay out of it with him.” His pledge, though, had not included any silence toward Catherine Walker. “But I wouldn’t wait much longer. It’s timeeverythingbetween you two gets laid on the table.”
“Don’t I know,” she said. “The first forty-two years of my life were utter turmoil. I don’t plan to repeat that in the next forty-two.”
“If you need help, I’m here.”
She reached over and squeezed his arm. “And I love you for it. But I got this. Truly, I do. Now I have to go.”
He watched her leave, hoping she would not make the same mistakes he’d made.
He thought again about what Marlene had found in the company computers, especially the mysterious list of numbers. They’d been intentionally secreted away behind heavy restricted access. What was it about these innocent-looking numbers that mandated such high security?
