Page 66 of Undercover Savior

“Am I terrible for saying I’d like to spend it alone with you?”

“Not at all,” I responded, smiling broadly. “I had the same desire.”

“Can we get the meeting over with, then?”

“As you wish.” I sent a group message via the secure app we used and suggested gathering in my office, where we typically met, if everyone was agreeable. “They’ll be here in one hour,” I said when I received an immediate response.

“Then, we’d better hurry,” she said, winking as she raced into the bedroom.

18

SULLIVAN

Rather than walk to the castle, David and I rode in the enclosed golf cart someone had left near Thistle Gate’s front door.

I clutched my laptop bag, which contained the microSD card, close to my body. Today would be the first time I shared all its contents with anyone. Something I hadn’t been able to imagine doing prior to now. That it was with David, Con, Tag, Gus, and Fallon, made it easier. They’d gained my trust, even in the short time I’d known them. David more so than the others.

My original plan was to share my findings with my uncle, Clive, given he was my immediate superior. Now, though, I couldn’t imagine doing so. Not only had he lied about Fallon wanting to kill my investigation, but there was also a chance he’d conspired with Weber to killme. When I shuddered, David reached over and took my hand.

“Are you all right?” he asked. “We don’t have to do this now if you’re not.”

I shook my head. “I was just thinking about Clive.”

He nodded. We’d talked about it a little while we were still at the flat in London, when he was sharing a story about hisannoying uncle. I commented then that at least he didn’t want David dead.

The first person we saw when we walked in the door of the castle was Mrs. Drummond.

“Thank you so much for all the lovely things you arranged at the cottage,” I said, approaching her.

“It was a joy, my lady. I’ve precious memories of Thistle Gate.” Her misty eyes were as curious to me as the statement. Had she spent much time here? Or maybe that’s where she’d lived, and now, David and I had displaced her. I made a mental note to ask after the conclusion of our meeting.

“Come, they’re waiting,” he said after also thanking her with an affectionate embrace.

The four others were already in the room and immediately stood when David and I entered his office.

“Welcome back,” said Fallon, walking over and taking both my hands in hers before we cheek-kissed.

“I’m happy to be,” I said with sincerity before greeting Con, Tag, and Gus.

“I’ve asked Sullivan if she’d be willing to brief us on her investigation of Tower-Meridian, and she agreed.” David turned to me. “Begin whenever you’re ready.”

“The entirety of what I’ve learned about the company, as well as about Eric Weber, is contained on this microSD card,” I said, holding up the piece of cardboard where it was still affixed. “For now, I’ll review it verbally, then at the conclusion of our meeting, I’ll ask for copies to be made and distributed as necessary.”

I began by recalling the night I’d first heard Eric Weber’s name and how I’d overheard two men discussing him. “When one said he wouldn’t dare show his face even after donating a billion dollars, I was intrigued. I suppose this is the perfect example of why curiosity kills the cat.”

My eyes met David’s, and in them, I saw such warmth. It—he—gave me the confidence to continue.

“While Tower-Meridian is well publicized for donations of that nature, along with their commitment to the distribution of humanitarian aid and medical supplies as well as emergency response services and refugee support, I believe it is all a smokescreen. What they really do is sinister at best, terrifying at worst.”

Everyone in the room sat up straighter.

“Let’s start with medical supplies…” I began as I had when I first told David about my investigation. “The arrival weights are significantly different from those taken at departure. This is also true of shipments containing humanitarian aid in the way of food supplies.” I added that the difference was sometimes as much as thirty percent, and along with it, there were lost containers and suspicious and undocumented or traceable detours in shipment arrival. “The most obvious theory would be Tower-Meridian was selling the donated items on the black market.”

“What led you to believe it was beyond that?” Fallon asked.

Again, I outlined the pieces of evidence like I had for David, saying that inventory reports on the manifests didn’t match and the required temperature logs for sensitive medications were either incomplete or missing altogether.

“The biggest mystery was how a shipping company as large as this could experience communications blackouts as well as blocked satellite tracking.” I pointed at the drive. “There are multiple documents detailing everything I’ve just told you.”

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