Page 101 of The Suit

“The Cover-Up Team? What exactly do they cover up?”

“Everything,” I replied.

He ran his thumb back and forth over his top lip, then stood up. “Wait here.”

He shut the door behind him and I opened my mouth to ask Professor Grannery where she thought he’d gone, but she stopped me.

“This room has ears. Let’s save it until we’re out of here.”

There was no clock in the room, nor were there windows, so I wasn’t sure how long we were sitting there in silence, but it was enough that I was really starting to need to pee by the time he returned.

He sat back down in his chair and pushed a pad of lined paper over to me, then placed a pen on top, along with a USB stick. “We need you to write down everything you’ve seen and heard. Then we need access to your laptop, along with any data you can easily remove from the FSJ servers.”

Fuck.

This was exactly what I’d been afraid of. I could do the writing down, but removing confidential information from monitored servers without getting caught? I wasn’t exactly Mission Impossible material. I was also majorly reluctant to go back into the building I’d suddenly built an aversion to, as though crossing the threshold would revert me to old Beulah, like Cinderella after midnight… but much more sinister.

Then I thought about Rafe and knew if there was any shred of hope for me to make amends, any chance of turning the last couple of weeks into something more permanent, then I had to try, and there was no going back.

I took a deep breath and nodded to Professor Grannery. We’d already discussed the possibilities of them wanting everything. They could have it, but they weren’t getting it for free.

“Agent Diggs, my client is fully prepared to co-operate with you, we have her laptop with us and you can have access to it shortly. However, we have some stipulations before we agree to anything.”

Agent Diggs clenched and unclenched his fist, then took a deep, steadying breath.

I had to admit I did enjoy watching Grannery rile him up, almost as much as I used to enjoy riling Rafe. A pang of unease hit me in the solar plexus as I wondered whether any of this would undo the damage I’d done to him, and us.

“Of course you do,” he simpered. “Please enlighten me.”

“My client will give you access to her computer while she is present in this building. However, if you require any more, then we will require full reassurance and a signed agreement that whistleblower status will be applied to her. Removing documents from the firm’s servers will trigger the security teams, and if she’s detained within the building before she has a chance to leave, then you will get her out immediately.”

My God, Grannery could have majored in drama if she’d dropped out of law. Either that, or she’d binged one too many spy films since I’d told her what I needed help with. I crossed my fingers I wouldn’t get caught and detained, but I also wouldn’t put anything past Feather.

Agent Diggs opened up the manila folder he’d been carrying when he returned to the room and removed the single piece of paper it contained then placed it in front of me.

It was an official document protecting me from any legal ramifications, if, during their investigation, they uncovered evidence that I’d been involved in any wrongdoings. It also stated that I would be protected against Feather Smythe Jones for breaking the confidentiality of the firm and of my clients. The FBI crest sat at the bottom, right underneath Ray Diggs’ scrawled name. I picked up the pen and scrawled my own on the spare line next to his.

“You have yourself a deal, Ms. Holmes. Now, where is your laptop?”

Professor Grannery picked up her briefcase and pulled out my laptop, handing it over. “You have thirty minutes, Agent Diggs, and we’re not waiting in here while you have it.”

An hour and a half later, after I’d peed twice, we walked back out into the Chicago sunshine, the blue June sky a poor man’s imitation for the blue of Rafe’s eyes.

Professor Grannery turned to me. “Well done, Beulah. I know that must have been hard, but you did great,”

“Thank you,” I replied, though I didn’t really feel like it had been too hard.

Making the decision to rat had been the hard part, the actual ratting had been easy to follow through with, especially when I just had to close my eyes to see Rafe standing tall, ready to incinerate me with his white-hot rage as he pinned me against the wall of my hotel room.

“Are you ready to go to the office, or do you want lunch and some Dutch courage first?” She laughed, though she was being deadly serious.

My hand curled round the USB stick. I hoped it was waterproof given how sweaty my palms were. “No, I need to get this done. We can drink after; I’ll need it. You’ll wait outside for me?”

She nodded. “Yes, I’ll be waiting.”

“Okay, good,” I hailed a cab and we both jumped in, “East Randolph please, the FSJ building.”

My heart rate pounded harder with every cent the meter added, and fifteen dollars later, we pulled up outside the building I’d forged my career in. I handed over a twenty but found myself stuck in my seat until the driver spun round.

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