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Garrett was still facing the window, and he didn’t immediately respond, leaving her words to hang in the air like a stale odor.
“So what’s going on?” Alex finally asked.
“Byron Zell sent me an e-mail. It contained all his financial records.”
“Really? He already provided them, I thought. Isn’t that what you gave me to dig through?”
“Yeah,” Garrett said, turning from the window. “Which was why I was surprised when he sent the documents a second time.”
“Yeah, that’s . . . weird.” Alex paused. “Did they match what he already gave us?”
“Word for word.”
“Ah, well, I guess you have your answer then. Byron Zell sounds legit. Unless you . . . what? Don’t think the files he sent are authentic?”
“No, they’re the real deal,” Garrett said, walking from the window and into the kitchen, where Alex stood. “But a different problem surfaced with the e-mail. There was something else in the documents Byron Zell sent me.”
“Something else?” This time Alex’s tone was sincere. She had only attached financial documents to the e-mail, so the “something else” was news to her.
“One of the files contained some disturbing child pornography.”
“What?”
“Awful stuff,” Garrett said, ignoring Alex’s surprise. “So I found myself in a difficult spot. I’m legally required to keep the financial documents confidential since they pertain directly to my client and the case he’s hired me for. Even if something nefarious had been in them, attorney-client privilege would prevent me from reporting it. But the child pornography was something else. I had no choice but to alert the police. Had I not, I could be considered liable in the crime. The authorities are looking into the situation now. I’m sure they’ll have a team of forensic computer pros go over every detail of Zell’s computer.”
“Shit,” Alex said to herself.
“Good,” Garrett said. “You see my concern, so we can stop the little dance we’re doing. I need to ask a question and I need you to tell me the truth. No bullshit.”
Alex nodded.
“Is there any way—any way, Alex—the e-mail that came from Zell’s computer can be linked back to Lancaster & Jordan?”
Alex knew enough not to blurt out her answer. She knew that Garrett was asking a question that needed careful contemplation, so she gave it. She replayed in her mind the night she’d broken into Zell’s apartment. She went through every detail, step-by-step, and could think of no mistakes she made.
“No,” she finally answered.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Alex knew that Garrett had placed a great deal of trust in her over the years since hiring her as a legal investigator. She walked a fine line between trying to impress him with the information she uncovered for the firm and being careful never to put him in harm’s way.
“I promise,” Alex said. “There’s no way any of it can come back to us. It’s why the documents came to you in an e-mail from him. It’s untraceable except back to Zell.”
She watched Garrett nod his head and take a sip of beer.
“And I didn’t know anything about the child porn stuff. I was just making sure the financials he provided to the firm matched his private files.”
Garrett nodded again. “Okay. Are you hungry? I’ll take you to dinner.”
Alex forced a smile. “Starving,” she said before walking into her bedroom to change. That was how she and Garrett operated. There was never a lot of back-and-forth. Information was exchanged, they both believed the other was telling the truth, the discussion was settled, and they moved on.
Alex emerged from her bedroom a few minutes later to find Garrett standing in front of her board. He had moved the accordion divider to the side and now analyzed the photos and notes and newspaper articles pinned to the board.
Alex cleared her throat. “Are you ready?”
Garrett didn’t move from the board. He spoke with his back to her. “I thought you’d given up on this.”
