Chapter 22: The Board Dinner

Miles's POV

The board of Radford Marine met in a private room above the Harbor Grand, around a long table with a white cloth.

There were six directors, and every one of them had read the envelope.

My mother sat at the foot of the table with her hands folded.

Leah sat beside me in a plain green dress, her own, with her hair in the bun she wore at work.

I had not asked her to dress up.

She had said, "I want them to see a cook."

The chairman cleared his throat.

"Miles, the allegation in these emails is serious."

He tapped the envelope.

"They show you sold two hulls below value and ordered the east shed's alarm switched off a week before the fire."

"I never wrote them."

"They come from your address."

"They come from a spoofed one," I said. "The investigator has the headers. She also has something else, which she will explain."

I had not told Leah what I had done the night before.

At midnight I had put the phone my mother took into the investigator's hands.

A forensic technician had worked on it until dawn.

The door opened.

Brooke came in without knocking, in a dark suit, with her lawyer a step behind her.

She had done her makeup carefully and her face was composed.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," she said. "I felt the board should hear from a witness."

"This is a private meeting," the chairman said.

"I was Mr. Radford's close friend." Her voice was warm and wounded.

"I have emails he sent me about the insurance. I wasn't going to say anything."

She lifted her chin.

"But after the lies about me, I have to protect myself."

She set a folder on the table.

Nobody opened it.

"Brooke," I said. "Sit down."

"I'd rather stand."

"Then stand where you can see the screen."

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