Page 50 of Rough Stock

Craig just held her hand, facing her with their knees just touching, and listened.

‘This guy ripped the files right out of Meghan’s arms, throwing them into the back of his car.’ Her words dropped to a whisper. ‘Meghan turned to run, but he grabbed her and slit her throat.’

‘No way…’ Craig squeezed both of her hands tighter. ‘What did you do?’

‘I threw my files at him, bolted for the nearest stairwell and raced up two flights of stairs to the fourth floor. I’d never been more grateful for wearing slacks, or all that time I’d spent on my stair-master. The bad guy couldn’t keep up, not on the stairs.’

‘Where did you go then?’

‘I hiked over the ledge and used an outside drainpipe to shimmy down to the third floor, then I ran across to the far side of the car park.’

‘You did what!’

‘I had no other way out. They would’ve had the exits covered.’

‘So how did you get to the ground floor?’

‘I use another drainpipe to the alley, then ran into a cafe, hid in the back, and called my boss.’

‘Why not the police?’

‘In my line of work, people call their lawyers first before they call the police. And I didn’t want it twisted against me…’ She shrugged. ‘My boss called one of our contacts in the police, Detective Alistair Mancini, who got assigned to the murder case. Alistair confirmed that Meghan had bled out from multiple knife wounds.’ She swallowed hard.

Craig said nothing, just holding her hands hoping to give her the strength to continue.

‘Where we were ambushed, I searched for cameras. It’s just habit—part of the job—to always check the security, because camera evidence makes the best witnesses. So, I gave the police details on the other buildings watching me shimmy down the drainpipe. Thank goodness for that, because one of them had a clear shot of a man holding a hunting knife...’

Izzy paused, frowning. ‘Strangely enough, the cameras in the car park where Meghan died weren’t working that day.’ She sighed so sadly that he felt the weight of her sorrow. ‘Poor Meghan. She was so nice. I felt awful leaving her like that.’

Craig bundled her close to his chest, to console her from the horrors of what she’d been through. ‘I’m so sorry you had to go through that.’ But ever so grateful she was here, alive, and with him today.

‘They trashed my apartment, too. I have nothing to go back to.’

‘Good. Your home is here, with me.’

She pushed against his chest. ‘Don’t you get it? You’re not safe with me, and not with Everlight setting up in the Territory.’

‘Aren’t they set up on a national scale?’

‘They were trying to.’

‘Until you found out they were illegally trading?’

‘Well, technically, no one knows but me.’ She winced, lifting her shoulders to her ears, as if knowing Craig wasn’t going to like what she had to share. ‘Everlight looked legitimate that even Alistair’s struggling to find proof. He knows they’re dodgy, but his focus is on the murder case. He can’t pin them on fraud—not yet.’

‘Why not?’

‘Alistair doesn’t want them to run, not when he wants them to pay for Meghan’s murder like I do. So, as insurance, we agreed I’d keep the fraud evidence on a simple thumbnail hard drive.’

Craig inhaled deeply, his nostrils pinching as his back straightened. ‘What is it?’

‘Documents. Legal filings, tax records, company registrations, grant applications, and bank statements. I even found an insider who leaked internal memos, fake project plans, and inflated costs for work that never existed—proof of Everlight’s fraud. I mapped it all out in a timeline that once covered my entire office wall, linking shell companies, fake directors, and missing funds.’

Knowing Izzy, like he did, it sounded like this investigation took over her life.

‘Everlight took millions in federal money. Millions, Craig. For solar farms they never built—they only charged for them.’ Izzy rubbed her temple, as if the exhaustion was creeping in. ‘And no one even questioned it.’

‘Why not? Surely someone would have noticed.’

---