Page 115 of Exposed

She pulled it out, shuddering at the bloody fingerprint on the phone cover. It was her print from when she thought she needed to call 911. She flashed on the two cell phones that had been on the floor next to Mo’s body, his company-issued smartphone and his burner phone. Mo must’ve kept the burner for his machinations with Ray and Ernie. It would probably hold evidence that would support her statement, so she made a mental note to turn it in to the police. But she felt curious about what was inside.

Bennie flipped it open and scrolled to the text function, but there were no texts, which probably meant that they had been deleted. She didn’t know if the burner phone supported encryption apps or the like and she was too tired to care. She flipped to the phone call function to check the recent calls. A list of recent calls popped onto the screen.

Bennie recognized the first number, which appeared twice. She didn’t know if it mattered, but it didn’t make sense. She needed her new favorite sounding board.

“Declan, can you come up?” Bennie called downstairs, getting her second wind.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

Sunday morning was insanely humid, and Bennie felt the relief of air-conditioning as she opened the door to Vetri’s, the same fancy restaurant that she’d met Nate in before. She acknowledged the maître d’ and made her way through tables packed with people having brunch. The air was filled with happy chatter and grinding espresso machines. It smelled like fresh coffee and artisanal rolls.

“So we’ve come full circle,” Bennie said, pulling out her chair when she reached the table.

“We have.” Nate rose while she sat down, looking fresh in a linen sportcoat, blue T-shirt, and jeans.

“Do you have an entire rich-guy wardrobe?”

“There’s a reason for that.” Nate took his seat. “I was so glad when you called.”

“Well, I thought it over. I changed my mind.”

“How so?” Nate leaned over the table with a warm smile. “Is this where you tell me you like me better than Declan?”

“No.” Bennie shot him a warning look. “And no more talk like that.”

“Got it.” Nate put up a hand. “Limit-setting. This far and no further. I got it. For the time being.”

“I mean it,” Bennie said sternly. “Declan didn’t agree with me being here today, but I don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. I’ve done a lot of great work for Dumbarton, and we’ve been friends a long time.”

“Truth,” Nate said, in an encouraging tone. “So does this mean you’re working for me again? Please?”

“Yes, but with a few conditions.”

“Terrific!” Nate brightened. “What are they?”

“You write to the disciplinary boards and withdraw your complaint about Mary. You dismiss your defamation lawsuit against Simon. And you settle Simon’s suit against OpenSpace for whatever Mary asked, because we have you dead to rights.”

“We?” Nate lifted an eyebrow.

“Yes, and I’m not finished yet. You apologize to Mary when she gets out of the hospital for what you put her through. And you better make a contribution to CHOP. You want to buy your way back into Heaven, it’s going to cost you.”

“And if I do it all? We start over?”

“Yes, I was angry with you, but it’s not fair to blame you for what happened. You didn’t know what was going on. You didn’t even know those guys.”

“Not at all. Thank you.” Nate nodded. “How’s Mary?”

“Recovering, thanks. She lucked out.”

“I’m so sorry she went through that. And you, too.”

“It was pretty awful.” Bennie didn’t want to elaborate, not with him. She was here doing what she had to do. “What are you going to do about what happened? Todd, Mo, Ray, and Ernie were cutting corners on the electrical. A woman died at Bethlehem Bank. They may have been cutting other corners, and how are you going to get to the bottom of it?”

“I turned it over to Jason to investigate and he’s great. He’ll follow the facts and if we need to fire or even charge anyone else, we will.” Nate’s expression turned grave. “And down theline, I’m selling OpenSpace, PowerPlus, and the other subs involved in cubicle manufacturing. I’m getting out of the business entirely.”

“Really?” Bennie asked, surprised.

“Yes, you can work on the deals. It might make you feel better.”