The sound of someone hammering on his door interrupted his brooding.
“Simon.” Nora sounded irritated. She rapped the door again impatiently. “Are you in there? Answer the door.”
He pulled himself away from the window and let her in. She frowned up at him.
“Where have you been?” She pushed him out of the way and stalked through the door. Her bag slid off her shoulder, and she tossed it onto the kitchen table. “Do you even know what’s happened at Syntech? Have you heard from Devon?”
The mixture of worry and exasperation in the rapid-fire series of questions she threw at him surprised Simon. If there was anyone he expected to be in on Dev’s plans, it was Nora. That was why he called her. The fact Dev hadn’t told her he’d benched Simon meant… something… or nothing. Maybe he hadn’t had time or he didn’t want to put Nora in an awkward position with the board. Or maybe he did have something to hide.
“I’ve been called to heel for this one.” He pushed the door closed behind her. “I might have fucked up. Dev wants me off the case until it blows over.”
She snorted and started to pace. The sharp heels of her shoes clicked angrily on the wooden floor and dug divots in the weft of the rug as she crossed it. “No. That’s what I wanted, Simon. For your sake as much as anything,” she said with one hand dismissively in the air and the metal band of her watch reflecting the light. “But until yesterday Dev seemed to think your personal involvement would just give you more motivation to find out who’d made a fool of you. Why change his mind now?”
Simon shoved his hands in his pockets and exhaled his temper through clenched teeth. Hehadbeen a fool. In fact there was every chance he was still being a fool—not that he was going to share that.
“I don’t know, Nora.” Despite his best efforts, he let his frustration seep into his voice. “Maybe he changed his mind when the board suspended him.”
“It’s Devon,” Nora said, giving him an annoyed look over her shoulder. “He doesn’t change his mind. He just digs his heels in and doubles down… and he can’t afford to right now.”
“He told me it was under control.”
“That’s what he thinks. I think he needs to hire a really good lawyer and sell out your weaselly little ex, before the board takes this opportunity to get him out.”
“Can they do that?”
Her sigh hissed between her teeth, and she threw herself down on a well-padded chair. She rubbed her forehead in frustration, as though she were trying to sand out the nascent wrinkle between her eyebrows.
“If they’re motivated to work together,” she said. “And they have just cause to believe he’s not working in the company’s best interests. Both of those things they have right now.”
“Crap. What do they have on him?” Simon caught himself and corrected.“Thinkthey have on him.”
“Evidence,” Nora said flatly. “I haven’t seen it all. The board is keepingthatcircle of trust small, but I know there’s an audio recording of Clayton calling Dev to accuse him of stealing the code and there’s a request filed with the University of Texas to see Clayton’s PhD.”
“That’s sloppy,” Simon said. “The board’s aware that Devon’s a genius, aren’t they?”
“They’re aware he’sarrogant,” she said. “They’re aware that the evidence shows that Devon and Clayton hated each other, and for good reason, apparently. It’s not looking good, Simon.”
“You think he did it?”
Nora inhaled and held it. “No,” she said, too slowly to be convincing. “Maybe. You know Devon as well I do, Simon. He can be ruthless.”
“In business. He wouldn’tkillsomeone.”
“Of course not. I know that. You’re right. Not on purpose. It might just have… gotten out of hand, though. If Clayton was threatening him, or if Devon was scared he’d lose everything. Maybe it was an accident and he never meant for it go that far?” She stopped, shrugged helplessly, and raised her hand in front of her face. “Or maybe you’re right and I should have more faith. I’m sorry.”
Simon wished he had more of that. He didn’t think Devon was a killer, but… he’d told Dev where Jacob’s safe house was, and then the police turned up, and there was a silver box full of information that Dev was doing his damnedest to keep away from the board. Simon didn’tthinkDev was involved, but two days earlier, he’d haveknownit. And ten years earlier, he wouldn’t have questioned Dev’s guilt. Before Dev cleaned up his act to date Becca, he’d had a violent streak. He’d broken Simon’s ribs once, although to be fair, Simon had put one of the dents in Dev’s nose.
He went over and perched on the end of the coach nearest Nora. He linked his hands together between his knees as he leaned forward.
“What happens next?” he asked. “At Syntech?”
“They’ve already quarantined all of Dev’s computers, revoked his access to the network, and sent his computer to be analyzed for any proof of the theft or of Dev’s involvement in Clayton’s death,” Nora said. She pushed her lips together, pressed her knuckles against the seam, and folded her fingers around her chin. “If they do—”
“They won’t,” Simon said. He hoped he was right. “Nora, is there any way you can get me the evidence that PeaPod has gotten their hands on? Whatever you’ve got, anyhow?”
She huffed. “I don’t know, Simon. I hate to rub it in, but you’re not looking good here either. You dated the thief. You’re Dev’s brother-in-law…. What even happened to the data you were going to hand back in to Syntech? If anyone finds that, it makes Dev look even worse…. Clayton didn’t just have suspicions. He had solid proof.”
Simon didn’t look toward the gun safe. He kept his eyes on Nora.
