Someone would have had to access the main communications hub for the building. That's on suble one in the server room which is locked. Which is locked? He agreed with a key card system. He paused.
A cutard system that runs on the backup power which is cycling. She finished the sentence. So if someone knew the timing of the cycling, knew exactly when the lock such would momentarily fail, they could get through without leaving a trace. The silence between them had a different weight now. Not the weight of strangers in an uncomfortable situation.
The weight of two people starting to understand the same thing at the same time. What do you know? She asked quietly. He looked at her steadily. Right now I know someone messed with this building tonight.
Deliberately during a storm that makes it very hard to get help from outside. I know the communications are down in a way that isn't accidental. And I know we are between floors in a stopped elevator. He paused. What do you know?
She pressed her lips together, looked at the floor for a moment. When she looked back up, she said, "Two weeks ago, I found something in our financial systems. A pattern of transactions that shouldn't exist. Money moving in ways that only three people in this company have the authority to authorize. She stopped.
One of those people is me, the other two. She shook her head slightly. I've spent 2 weeks building documentation, building a case. I was going to present it to the board at a meeting I have scheduled for 6 days from now. Does anyone know you found it?
I haven't told anyone directly, she paused. But I've been accessing records, pulling files. Someone who was paying attention might have noticed. How much money are we talking? She met his eyes. $11 million over 18 months.
Darius was quiet for a moment. And the people with the authority to authorize those transactions, he said carefully. Are either of them capable of? He gestured at the dark elevator car around them. She didn't answer right away.
And her not answering right away was its own kind of answer. I don't know, she said finally and then quieter. I thought I did. No, I thought I knew who I could trust. She looked down at her hands.