Pike wiped his forehead.
"They weren't supposed to."
"Then explain the notebook."
"I didn't know she was documenting everything."
Grant slammed his palm against the table.
"You've allowed a cleaning woman to threaten a hundred-and-eighty-million-dollar agreement!"
Pike flinched.
"What do you want me to do?"
Grant opened his briefcase and removed a small velvet jewelry pouch.
Inside was a pair of expensive platinum cufflinks.
"You reported a theft recently, didn't you?"
Pike hesitated.
"No."
"Then report one now."
His meaning was unmistakable.
Twenty minutes later, Maya received a call instructing her to report to the staff office.
When she arrived, two security officers were waiting.
Pike sat behind his desk.
"Maya," he began, "we've received a serious complaint."
"What kind of complaint?"
"A guest claims a valuable personal item has gone missing."
Maya frowned.
"What does that have to do with me?"
Pike nodded toward a security officer.
The officer placed a clear plastic evidence bag on the desk.
Inside were platinum cufflinks.
"These were found in your locker."
Maya stared at them.
"I've never seen those before."
"Mr. Mercer says they belong to him."
The room seemed to tilt.
"Someone put them there."
Pike sighed.
"That's a serious accusation."
"So is accusing me of stealing!"
One security officer looked uncomfortable.
Pike folded his hands.
"Until this matter is investigated, your employee access will be suspended."
Maya stepped backward.
"You can't do this."
"The decision has been made."
"I've worked here for seven years!"
"And we appreciate your service," Pike replied without emotion.
Maya looked from one face to another.
Nobody defended her.
Nobody offered to check the locker-room cameras.
Nobody asked whether the evidence made sense.
For the second time that day, she discovered how easily powerful people could turn money into a weapon.
When she walked outside, rain had begun falling.
She sat beneath the hotel's entrance canopy and called her younger brother, Caleb.
He was twenty-one and studying nursing at a university in New Jersey.
"Hey, Maya," he answered cheerfully. "Everything okay?"
She wanted to tell him the truth.
That she might lose her job.
That strangers were accusing her of theft.
That the tuition payment she had promised him suddenly seemed impossible.
Instead, she said, "Just checking on you."
Caleb was quiet.
"You sound upset."
"I'm tired."
"You always say that."
Maya closed her eyes.
"Focus on your classes, okay?"
After the call ended, she remained seated for several minutes.
Then a man approached.
He wore a dark gray suit and carried a narrow laptop bag.
Maya recognized him immediately.
He had been standing behind Grant Mercer that morning.
Grant's executive assistant.
"My name is Leo Chen," he said.
Maya stood.
"If he sent you to threaten me, tell him I'm done listening."
"He didn't send me."
"Then what do you want?"
Leo glanced toward the hotel entrance.
"I know who put those cufflinks in your locker."
Maya stared at him.
"How?"
"Because I was ordered to give them to Martin Pike."
The rain grew heavier.
Maya stepped closer.
"Why are you telling me this?"
Leo's expression changed.
For the first time, she noticed how frightened he looked.
"Because I helped Grant hide the money."
He swallowed.
"And because somebody is going to get hurt if we don't stop him."
Leo opened his bag.
Inside was a portable hard drive.
"This contains the original transaction records."
Maya stared at it.
"Then take it to Evelyn Sterling."
"I tried."
"Why couldn't you?"
"Because Grant's people are watching the executive floor."
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"And there's something you need to understand."
Maya felt a chill despite the humid afternoon.
"What's that?"
Leo looked directly at her.
"The missing wages are only the beginning."
CHAPTER 5: THE NIGHT THE TRUTH ALMOST DISAPPEARED
At seven thirty that evening, the Meridian Grand looked as magnificent as ever.
Guests enjoyed expensive dinners beneath glittering chandeliers. A pianist played softly in the lounge. Champagne glasses clinked as though nothing unusual had happened.
But three floors below the lobby, Maya Brooks was following Leo Chen through a narrow service corridor.
She had entered through a staff door with special authorization from Evelyn Sterling's legal team.
Her suspension had already been challenged.
The theft accusation was being investigated.
But neither problem mattered as much as the information Leo had uncovered.
"How much money are we talking about?" Maya whispered.
Leo glanced over his shoulder.
"Almost nine million dollars."
Maya stopped walking.
"Nine million?"
"The payroll fraud is only one part. Mercer Capital has been charging the hotel for renovation materials that were never delivered, consulting work that never happened, and maintenance contracts linked to companies Grant secretly controls."
"Why?"
"Because his investment firm is running out of money."
Leo led her into an empty maintenance room.
"Three of his largest projects failed last year. Banks are demanding repayment. If Evelyn signs the new deal, Grant gets access to a massive construction budget."