‘Like him?’Izzy arched a brow.‘Come now, Taryn, you’re a well-seasoned federal investigator.You know better than to answer a yes-or-no question that fast.’
Taryn opened her mouth, then closed it again.She hated how warm her face felt right now.
‘It’s not a crime, you know.’Izzy leaned back, wearing a satisfied expression.‘But if you’re planning to tear down the house, while falling for the man who built it… Well, that’s a very complicated manoeuvre.Don’t you think?’
Taryn cleared her throat, desperate to get this conversation under control.‘Everlight is the real game plan for being here.For the fraud and all those manipulated grants that were dressed up as clean energy.Where you and the Stock Squad presented a case that pointed to a major prosecution—until it all just disappeared.’
Izzy’s smile faded.‘Were charges ever laid?’
‘No.’Taryn held her gaze.‘Nothing.’
‘What?’Izzy’s face paled.‘Drew—’
‘Passed it to an investigative department.The paper trail from his office is there.But after that… No press release.No court filings.No trial.When, by rights, the Stock Squad should’ve been recognised for their part.You especially, Izzy.What you uncovered about Everlight, and the millions you saved the government, you should’ve received a medal.’
‘Is that flattery, Agent Hayes?’
‘No.It’s a fact.And it’s partly why I’m here.’Yet, Taryn couldn’t reveal everything.‘You’re the reason I flew up here.Just to speak to you.’
Izzy lifted her chin.‘Ah, so the truth is finally revealed.’
‘I’ve read the file, what’s left of it, as most of it’s been heavily redacted.But I got my hands on an older copy that has your name in there.You were doing searches on shell companies, following the paper trail, trying to find Everlight’s owner.Did you?’
‘No.I found a legal firm with no clients.A trust linked to a registered lobbyist who hadn’t paid tax in a decade.And a bunch of bankrupt companies that shouldn’t have been trading.’Izzy tapped her fingers against her teacup.‘I could find the properties that Everlight had bought and, like you, went through their receipts and found they were faking their solar farms.They were using the land protestors to stall the building phase—yet they had phoney contractor bills for construction and installation of massive solar panels.’
‘But there weren’t any?’
‘No.They were empty parcels of land, with just a shed, a sign, and a few solar panels creating just enough power for the shed, like an onsite construction manager’s office.The rest were nothing more than ghost towns.’Izzy fiddled with her paper cup, as the frustration laced her voice.
Taryn stayed quiet.
‘You know, they killed my assistant.Meghan… I’ve had other assistants who couldn’t keep up or got frustrated with how my brain works, because it gets demanding or scattered when I crash.But not her.Meghan had this way of grounding me, like nothing rattled her.’Izzy smiled faintly, the kind that held more grief than joy.‘She’d laugh so easily and had this gift for finding fun.Even when we were stuck in these underground archive rooms, rifling through paper, with dust on our skirts, you could hear her laugh echo between the compactus shelves…’ Izzy frowned, shuffling in her seat.‘You know, I never felt Meghan got the justice she deserved, not after what happened to her.’
‘I have to ask… how did your assistant die?’
Izzy looked up slowly, a small frown forming.‘That’s in the report.’
Taryn shook her head.‘Not anymore.As I said before, the file’s been redacted.Her name’s gone.And the state police file was pulled, too.’
Izzy blinked like she’d been slapped.‘They pulled all of it?’
‘Everything.No court documents.No arrest logs.No mention of your kidnapping, or the guys who did it.’
‘Dane Carter and Renzo.’Izzy shivered at the names.
Now we’re getting somewhere.‘All I’ve got is lines of black ink, done by someone who went to great lengths to hide the truth.’Taryn sighed heavily.‘It’s been frustrating.The closed doors and continuous setbacks, made it feel like I’m taking one step forward and ten steps back.’Taryn leaned in a little closer, her voice quieter.‘I’ve had to be careful.One misstep, and the wrong people will start to take notice of what I’m doing.’
‘So you’re not just here to tick boxes.’
‘No.And yes.’Taryn held her gaze.‘I’m hoping you’ve kept a copy of the original case files, or will let me look at any notes you may have, so I can start putting the pieces together.’
‘You want to find out who owns Everlight?’
Taryn nodded.
‘It’s dangerous.’
Taryn wasn’t going to state the obvious to spook the woman on the other side of the table, who was already weighing up the pros and cons in the blink of an eye.
