Penn wasn't there to intimidate him, or rather he was. But that wasn't the only reason. A man like Penn with Penn's patience and Penn's calculated approach didn't show up in person for intimidation alone. He showed up in person because he wanted information. He wanted to look Marcus Carter in the eye and take a reading.
The same reason Raymond had appeared in the doorway of that conference room. He wanted to understand what he was dealing with. Marcus understood that the smartest thing he could do was give Penn nothing to read. At 5:17, Preya called his cell. He left, she said.
But Marcus security got a look at his phone while he was waiting. He was on a call for most of it. 43 Minutes. With who? We don't know yet.
But the call ended 2 minutes before he left. A pause. Caldwell's assistant called Amelia's office at 58, asking to an informal discussion that was never on the calendar in the first place. Caldwell has never reached out to Amelia's office directly before. He goes through the board chair.
Marcus thought about that. They're repositioning. He said Penn came in person to assess and report back. Caldwell called to test whether Amelia would take the meeting. They're trying to find the edge of what they're working with before the audit firm starts on Monday.
That's what she thinks, too. Priya said she declined Caldwell's meeting request. She's drafting a formal communication to the full board tonight. After Priya hung up, Marcus stayed at his desk until 5:45 later than usual. And then he packed up, rode the elevator down, and walked out into the early October evening.
That was cooler than it should have been for the season. The kind of cold that arrives ahead of schedule and makes you realize you misjudged the calendar. He called Diane on the walk to the subway. She picked up on the third ring. Hey, you sound like you've been running.
Had a big day. Big how. Big like things moved forward that I didn't expect to move as fast. Marcus. Her voice changed.
Diane Carter was 40 years old and had spent the better part of her adult life being the only person Marcus allowed himself to be fully honest with. What's happening? He told her. Not everything. Not the texts, not pens visit.