He started reading over the documents, his square jaw clenching as he took everything in. “I have a print-out of the executive account records for you to look over. Ordinarily, I would have emailed these to you, but since we’re dealing with a suspected hacker we can’t be too careful. Physical copies seemed like the safest way to go.”
“Good thinking.” Linda took one of the documents from him. “During our phone call you offered to help with the investigation. I assume that offer is still on the table?”
“Yes, it is. As I said during the call, a payment was made from that executive account to the electrical company,” Drew said. “Which means suspects have been narrowed down to various department heads, executives, and a few assistants, but I’m going to need some time to go over any cards or phone apps that might have actually transferred the funds from the executive account to the electrical company.”
Heather shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “How long will that take?” The longer it took for Drew to figure things out, the longer she’d have to keep this information from Simon. And Simon had been so generous when he had invited her over to his apartment to question the electricians. The information she had gotten over the weekend had been so helpful that her lawyer was planning on using it for her custody battle.
Her gut tugged painfully at the thought of betraying Simon’s trust. Of repaying his kindness with secrets.
“Hard to say,” Drew replied. “Sometimes investigations like this take a handful of days, but sometimes it can stretch into weeks. It’s also more difficult because I’ll be investigating this on my own, in secret, without any help from the accounts department.”
“Are we putting you on the spot by having you do this?” Heather asked. “Will you get in trouble if you conduct a secret investigation?”
“I appreciate your concern.” He flashed her a reassuring smile. “Miranda Holder, the head of Dover’s legal team, has authorized me to conduct this investigation. It’s all perfectly above board, but we have to be discreet. This is totally confidential, which means the only person who can know about our discussion is Miranda Holder herself. You can’t tell Simon, because it puts him at risk. If he knows, he might do something that tips off the hacker, which could put Simon in danger. Remember, this hacker broke into Simon’s apartment. There’s no telling what they might do to hurt Simon if he knows the scope of the investigation before it’s concluded.”
“Simon said it was okay to tell my lawyer that the electricians were duped by someone at the company, but I’m guessing I can’t update my lawyer about the executive account,” Heather said.
“No, you can’t. We can’t share more of this information yet because we really can’t risk it getting out. Discretion is important right now. I know this has got to be tough on you, since you were a suspect, but I promise to do everything I can to clear your name once and for all.” He leaned towards her. “For the record, I always believed you were innocent.”
The tension that had been building in her shoulders started to dissipate. Having someone believe in her was such a relief. “Thank you,” she said, hoping he heard the gratitude in her voice.
Once they concluded their meeting Drew promised to stay in touch, and Heather followed Linda back to the media relations department.
Heather sat down at her small desk, looking over emails she might have missed. There was one from Simon. It wasn’t personal. Just a professional email asking for an update into the publication of Dover’s new magazine. Still, the sight of the message made her heart squeeze. The twinge in her chest served as a reminder to her. She had to make sure Simon didn’t find out about the accountant. The less he knew, the safer he would be until the criminal could be caught.
She just hoped that they could catch the hacker as soon as possible, because she didn’t know how long she could keep a secret from Simon.
Chapter 16
Something was wrong with him. He was more than likely ill. That was the only conclusion that made sense for the ache that had seized him since the weekend. Being away from Heather for a handful of days was like suffering from the world’s worst withdrawal, with Heather being his drug of choice.