Chapter 17 - A Call from the Past
At precisely eight o’clock, the silence of the Fox Chapel study was broken by the sharp, single chime of my phone resting on the mahogany desk.
I didn't rush to pick it up. I let it ring twice, watching the glowing screen illuminate the dark surface of the wood. The caller ID displayed a private, restricted number—not a corporate extension, not a local courthouse line, but something encrypted, originating from a downtown landline.
I picked up the phone and pressed accept without speaking.
“Mr. Abbott?” a voice asked. It was David Vance, his tone subdued, professional, and slightly drained.
“Go ahead, David,” I said evenly.
“The board has finalized the internal restructuring memo,” David said, his breath hitching slightly over the line. “Sienna Zimmerman’s legal counsel attempted to file an emergency injunction to block the freezing of her personal brokerage accounts this afternoon. The federal judge threw it out within ten minutes. The paper trail you provided left them zero legal maneuvering room.”
“And Andre Abbott?” I asked.
“Arraignment is set for tomorrow morning at the federal courthouse downtown,” David replied. “The district attorney’s office is pushing for a maximum-security holding due to flight risk concerns regarding his offshore holdings in the BVI. As far as the corporation is concerned, both of their names have been scrubbed from active directory. They never existed.”
“Thank you, David,” I said quietly. “You handled a difficult audit with absolute precision.”
“I just followed the ledger you laid out, Reid,” David said, pausing for a moment before continuing. “Are you sure you won’t reconsider your position on the advisory board? Sterling is willing to offer you the senior vice presidency vacated by—”
“No, David,” I interrupted, a faint smile touching the corner of my mouth. “I’m entirely done climbing corporate ladders. Tell Arthur to find someone else to decorate his boardroom.”
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“Understood,” David murmured. “Have a quiet evening, Mr. Abbott.”
“I already am,” I said, and tapped the end call button.
