Claire pulled him in for a tight hug. “I was afraid you’d run off for good.”
“I couldn’t,” he said. “It’s pretty hard to sneak off of an island when everyone is looking for you.”
“Your own personal Alcatraz,” Lucy added.
Claire filled him in on the recent happenings, and Marty couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He rushed to set up his laptop, connecting to the internet to check his email.
“I’m going to disguise my IP address,” he said. “In case the FBI is still watching me.”
Claire didn’t think they were, but she appreciated how careful he was.
He found an email from Courtney, the secretary from SureFired.
“What does it say?” asked Lucy.
Marty’s eyes darted back and forth like lightning. “It’s true. It’s all over. They know I’m innocent! Courtney proved it!”
Lucy squealed, clapping her hands together, and Claire had the urge to do the same.
Marty continued. “The venture capital firm got insider information that the CEO was intent on defrauding them, and that they had lied about me selling the technology to cover it up. They provided all of this to the FBI, who cleared my name, and the sale price of SureFired fell by a few hundred million dollars. It’s already all over the business news.”
Lucy raised an eyebrow. “A few hundred million? How much was this thing worth?”
“A lot,” said Marty. “Courtney said she’s sorry she didn’t speak up sooner, but she was afraid after seeing what happened to me.”
“Anyone would be afraid after that,” said Claire. “It’s the reason that the CEO went after you so viciously.”
Marty nodded. “I can’t believe Chip managed to do it.”
Claire paused. “Chip? What did he have to do with this?”
“He knew Steel Montgomery, one of the partners at Steel and Steal, the company that was going to buy SureFired. He flew to New York and got a meeting with him, then called me to explain what had happened with SureFired.”
Claire had to sit down. “That’s shocking.”
Marty continued. “When I snuck out of the hotel before the FBI burst in, he saw me break part of the window frame and confronted me about it.”
Lucy laughed. “That’s hilarious. And then he decided to help you?”
“Pretty much,” Marty said with a shrug. “He’s sort of a scary dude, and he didn’t believe me at first, but I guess he did in the end.”
Lucy looked down at Claire. “Are you okay?”
She realized that she had her hand covering her mouth. “Yes, sorry. This is just a lot to take in.”
Poor Chip. He’d ended up getting involved after all.
“Well, thank God for Chip,” Lucy said. “Otherwise, Marty and I would’ve been wearing orange jumpsuits for a couple of years.”
Claire shook her head. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay him.” Maybe by leaving the island forever...
Lucy shrugged. “You could take him on a date.”
“No, Lucy,” Claire said, shooting her a look before standing up to grab her coat and her purse. “I need to see him.”
“Right now?” asked Lucy. “Aren’t I entitled to a post-prison meal?”
Claire felt, for the first time in a week, that she knew exactly what to do. “I’ll be back soon, okay?”
