Then he went back to work, but this time they were both smiling, and neither of them pretended otherwise. Lily met Emily three more times before she delivered her verdict. The first time was a dinner at the Caldwell estate, the one Henry had mentioned in the phone call with Lily, fully in attendance and fully in possession of opinions. She'd asked Emily 17 questions over the course of the meal, covering topics that ranged from her job title to her opinion on whether bats were underrated to whether she thought the Georgia State Flower was a good choice or just a default. Emily had answered all 17 questions seriously and directly, which in Lily's evaluation system was the only correct approach.
The second time was at the farmhouse on a Saturday when Marcus had brought Lily along because Mrs. Greer was visiting her sister, and the girl had been bored since 7:00 a.m. and had been making it everyone's problem. Lily had spent the first hour examining Marcus' work with her architect's eyes, and the second hour following Emily around, asking questions about the company, which Emily answered in the same direct way. She answered everything, not simplifying for the child, but also not performing, just talking to her like a person. At some point, Marcus had looked up from the exterior trim work and found Lily and Emily sitting side by side on the rebuilt porch talking about something he couldn't hear both of them serious and focused and he'd had to look away quickly because the sight of it did something to his chest that he wasn't prepared for. The third time was at Cedar Falls Elementary's fall showcase where Lily had been selected to present her civil rights history project. the poster board with the photographs arranged properly taller people in the back so everyone was visible.
Emily came because Lily had somewhat imperiously invited her. Henry came because Emily was coming and he was not going to miss it. Lily presented her project with the focus and precision of someone who had thought about it considerably and intended to communicate that. She spoke for 6 minutes. She took three questions from the judges.
She received a blue ribbon. In the car afterward, Marcus driving Lily in the back. Henry and Emily having taken their own vehicle. Lily said. Emily cried.
Marcus glanced in the rear view mirror. A little, he said carefully. Why? He thought about it. Sometimes people cry when they see something that's exactly right, he said.
When something is done well and it matters. Lily considered this. She's seen a lot of things that weren't done right. I think so, Marcus said. Then she should hang around us more, Lily said decisively.
We do most things right. Marcus kept his eyes on the road. Yeah, he said. We do. 2 days after the fall showcase, Marcus received a phone call that he did not expect.
It came from a man named Owen Patrick, a name Marcus didn't recognize from a number with an Atlanta area code. He almost let it go to voicemail. He didn't. Is this Marcus Williams? The voice was measured and professional, but careful in a way that wasn't corporate more deliberate than that.
It is, Marcus said. Mr. Williams, my name is Owen Patrick. I'm a journalist with the Atlanta Constitution. I'm working on a piece about the Caldwell Group's leadership restructuring following the departure of Richard Hayes. I understand you were directly involved in the circumstances surrounding his departure.
Marcus was very still. Where did you hear that? He said, I have sources inside the organization, Owen said. I want to be transparent with you. I'm not looking to write something damaging to you or to the Caldwell family.
The angle I'm pursuing is about corporate culture, specifically about what happens when someone inside a company tries to protect institutional power at the expense of a private individual. A pause. Your story is part of that, and I'd like to give you the opportunity to tell it in your own words before I write it with what I have. Marcus stood in the middle of his workshop with sawdust on his hands and thought very carefully about everything he was about to say. I appreciate the call, he said, but I'm going to need to think about this.
Of course, Owen said, I'll give you 48 hours. After that, I'm going to write what I have. What do you have? Marcus asked. Footage of you helping Henry Caldwell at the Harland Equipment Yard, which has apparently been circulating within certain business circles in Atlanta.
The broad outlines of Richard Hayes's departure. the connection to the Brentwell construction situation. A pause and the name of the parallegal who noticed the unauthorized background check and alerted Henry Caldwell's office. Marcus' mind went immediately to the piece of paper in Tessa Yon's pocket. Someone had talked or Tessa herself had. Give me 24 hours, Marcus said.
He hung up and called Emily immediately. She answered on the first ring which told him she'd been waiting to hear from him for reasons neither of them had named yet. I just got a call from the Atlanta Constitution, he said. The silence on her end lasted exactly 2 seconds. Owen Patrick, she said, you know him.
He's been sniffing around the haze situation for 2 weeks. My PR team flagged him. Her voice was sharp and focused now fully in executive mode. What did he say? He has Marcus told her. all of it.
He didn't leave anything out or soften anything because she was someone who needed complete information in order to think correctly and she'd earned that. When he finished, she was quiet for a moment. Tessa Yunt, Emily said. She came to me directly last week. She was worried about what she'd done sending that text getting involved.
I told her she'd done the right thing. A pause. She may have felt like she needed to go further to make sure it actually mattered. Can you stop the story? Marcus asked.
Yes, Emily said. Probably. My legal team can. She stopped herself. But I don't think that's the right answer.