I wanted to shout it fromthe rooftops, anyway. The only thing stopping me was not being sure that Mileswould want to hear it from someone like me.
“You’d wanna help him then,right? Like, you’d want to do the right thing, even if you know the truth willhurt?”
This was starting to sound… complicated.More complicated than I’d bargained for.
Fox would have been betterat this. Unfortunately, I was the one sitting here.
“I think I’m gonna need alittle more information, here,” Gray said. “Don’t worry. I’m not a cop.”
“I know I did the wrongthing,” Jimmy said. “But I was trying to protect Miles. You have to believe me.”
I didn’thaveto believeanything, but for whatever reason, I wanted to. Jimmy didn’t seem like somescheming, jealous ex.
He sounded, more thananything, like a concerned friend. I’d been in that position, and I knew how hardit was to balance up doing what wasright,in the long-term,with doing what was easier in the short-term.
On the other hand, I couldn’t imagine Milesdoing anything wrong. And if hehadbeen, then he wouldn’t have been sosurprised by everything that was going on.
“Start at the beginning,” I said,wanting to hear whatever it was Jimmy had to say.
“Have you heard of JohnBryant?” he asked.
My eyes narrowedsuspiciously. That was the guy who’d tried to corner Miles at the party he’dtaken me to, right after we’d arrived.
“I’ve met him. Can’t say I’dwanna have a beer with the guy.”
“Me neither,” Jimmy agreed. “EmersonMedical used to be Emerson & Bryant Medical, way back in the thirties. John’sfamily still holds a meaningful share of the company, but not a controllingone. Except John isn’t satisfied with that at all.”
“Following so far,” I said,suspecting this was about to turn into a discussion about company politics thatI couldn’t hope to follow much further.
“He’s paying the researcherson Miles’ pet project to uh… misrepresent their findings,” Jimmy said,scratching the back of his neck.
“To lie.” I glanced at thestack of files. “Why?”
“Because he wants the badfindings published with deliberate mistakes in them.”
“But…” I frowned, not surewhat to make of this information. It felt like I was squinting at something inthe distance—something I’d recognize once I could make it out, but that was toofar away to identify just yet. “Again,why?”
“So he can have someone elseexpose the lie later. Which will tank the share price.”
For a moment, I was lost,and I wasn’tafraid to admit it. I couldn’t think whyanyonewould want to dothat to a company that was presumably paying both their salaryanddividends.
And then, in a flash ofinsight, I understood exactly why Fox did what he did. The rush of having allthe pieces suddenly fall together was incredible, my chest filling withexcitement as everything snapped into perfect clarity.
A heartbeat later, mystomach swooped. Exciting as it was to have figured it out, it also meant thatMiles…
Miles was going to beheartbroken when he found out.
Which explained what Jimmyhad been asking earlier.
“He’s tanking the shareprice to buy up a controlling interest in the company,” I said, feeling like acharacter in of one of those FBI thrillers Lucas had always loved to read andpoke holes in. Loudly. And late at night.
I kinda missed it, all thesame.
“Right,” Jimmy said. “Andobviously… it happened on Mr. Emerson’s watch, so the board will probably getrid of him. And then Miles… it’s Miles’ project. He could be on the choppingblock, too.”
“Holy shit. What an asshole.”
If I hadn’t been used tothe idea of people being assholes like this, I would hardly have believed it.
