Chapter 7 - THE FIRST LEAK
Grant Hale did not answer his phone.
He did not answer his office.
His lawyer did.
By midnight, Grant had agreed to preserve his devices and appear the next morning.
He arrived.
No escape attempt.
No shredded passport.
No abandoned car.
Just a man who knew his career might be over.
He admitted sending information to Margaret.
Not all of it.
Enough.
Arthur had kept family members out of strategic decisions.
Margaret hated that.
A year earlier, she approached Grant privately.
“If my brother is about to sell something that affects the family trust, tell me.”
Grant refused.
Then Margaret paid his wife’s consulting company $4,000 for a legitimate home-security evaluation.
Then another project.
Then another.
Eventually Margaret asked again.
Grant started sending:
Valuation meetings.
Property inspection dates.
Lender appointments.
He told himself it was family scheduling.
Then Arthur began cooperating.
Grant learned through security logistics.
Margaret asked:
“Is he meeting prosecutors?”
Grant answered yes.
That was the first truly protected fact he leaked.
No money changed hands for individual messages.
Margaret had built a relationship.
Grant liked being useful to both Vales.
Then the Briar transfer packet arrived.
Grant saw it.
Sent Margaret the text.
Why?
“She kept asking whether Thomas was going to be charged.”
“You knew?”
“No.”
“You knew the evidence drive was moving.”
“Yes.”
“Why tell her?”
“I thought she’d call her lawyer.”
“She staged a theft accusation.”
“I know that now.”
“Did you tell Derek Sloane?”
“No.”
Grant looked genuinely angry at the question.
Arthur’s lawyer asked:
“Did you ever provide Sloane any movement data?”
“No.”
“Did anyone on your team?”
“I don't know.”
That was investigated.
Sloane had previously bought information from a junior Vale Protective analyst about contractor travel.
The analyst admitted selling non-case corporate data for cash.
Fired.
That explained Arthur’s earlier complaint about Sloane selling “my information.”
But the analyst had been terminated three weeks before the plaza.
No access to current data.
So one leak path was understood.
Margaret received her tip from Grant.
That explained her scheme.
It did not explain Sloane’s exact briefing.
Then investigators traced the blue-drive description.
The exterior evidence pouch had been described in a sealed transport worksheet inside the prosecutor’s evidence system.
Accesses:
Mara Chen.
Nolan Price.
Evidence tech Denise Ford.
Evelyn.
One automated audit service.
Grant did not have it.
Northbank Legal did not have it.
Defense counsel did not have it.
Someone inside the office had seen:
BLUE TAMPER POUCH / BRIAR DRIVE.
Then technical staff reviewed account activity.
Mara Chen’s credentials opened the worksheet at 2:13 p.m.
Mara stared.
“I was in court.”
Court video confirmed.
Her account was used from an internal workstation.
Device:
PIB-INV-12.
Assigned to:
Nolan Price.
Silence.
Price stared at the report.
Mara looked at him.
“Why were you in my account?”
“I wasn't.”
“Your workstation.”
“Yes.”
“Your session.”
“No.”
Price asked for counsel.
Correct choice.
Evelyn felt the case shift again.
Grant had leaked to Margaret.
May you like
But Sloane’s source might be inside the prosecution team.
And the account used belonged to Evelyn’s own bureau chief.
