“Yes.”
“You spoke to a man named Greco.”
She nods.
“And he agreed to speak with you. But of course he wasn’t there today when you went back.”
She rolls her eyes. “So it was you. You knew all along.”
“You found a receipt,” I say. “You built a timeline. You identified a witness. You contacted him. You arranged a meeting.” Each step laid out cleanly. “You think that gives you leverage.”
“I think it gives me the truth.”
“No.”
Her eyes flash. “You don’t get to decide that.”
“I already did.” I rise to my feet. “The man you spoke to is gone. He’s no longer accessible to you. He’s no longer part of your plan.”
A sharp laugh. “That’s convenient. The receipt, the corridor. The conversation you overheard. The name you followed.” I let each word settle. “I allowed them.”
“That’s not possible.”
“It is.”
“No one leaves evidence like that.”
“They do when they want to see who finds it.”
Her breath changes. “You let me find it. Why?”
“To see what you would build.”
“And now?”
I hold her gaze. “Now I’ve seen it.”
Silence shifts. “You shut it down,” she says. “Just because you can.”
“Yes.”
Her throat moves. Containment. “You think this ends it.”
“No,” I reply.
That catches her.
“You’ll try again. You’ll look for something I can’t see.”
Her eyes sharpen.
“It won’t work.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.”
“How?”
