17. Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Seventeen
Sylvie Deering January 2025 Saturday — 9:18 am
The quiet stillness of Haze Innovations Group's office greeted Sylvie like an unwelcome guest as she stepped through the glass doors. Even the building itself seemed to want a Saturday off from all the hustle and bustle. The thermostat must have been set for a little lower on the weekends.
Though the hushed atmosphere was quite unsettling, a simple text exchange with Derek had revealed that he would be on site this morning. The heels of her ankle boots clicked slightly against the marble tile as she made her way past the main reception desk in the lobby.
“Good morning, Ms. Deering,” Ruth called out from down the hall. She approached with a smile, wearing a more casual outfit than she had on during the workweek. “It’s a cold one out there today. May I get you some coffee? Tea?”
“Good morning,” Sylvie greeted in return. Ruth had come to a stop and waited for Sylvie to approach. “I'm surprised to see you here on a Saturday. I hope that Derek didn’t call you in just because I needed to follow up with him on some questions.”
Ruth's smile widened even more.
“If Derek is working, I make sure to be here as well.” Ruth turned and began to lead the way back to Derek’s office. “May I take your coat?”
“No, thank you. And I also appreciate the offer of a hot beverage, but I won’t be here for long.”
“If you change your mind, just holler.” Ruth didn’t stop as she passed Derek’s open door. “Go on in, dear. He’s waiting for you.”
Sylvie hesitated slightly, but she eventually crossed the threshold. She had almost asked Theo to take over any dealings with Derek, but then she would have had to explain the reason behind such a request. An invitation to dinner shouldn’t have been a big deal, yet it was all she had been able to think about since leaving the building on Thursday.
Derek was at his desk, a steaming cup of coffee cradled in one hand while the other manipulated the mouse to his computer. He was also dressed a lot more casually than he had been on Thursday, and his blue sweater brought the color out in his eyes. His gaze was locked onto the display, moving back and forth indicating he was reading something of interest. As she took another step, her presence registered, prompting him to shift his chair back.
“Please, don’t get up,” Sylvie said as she closed the rest of the distance. She ignored the warmth of his gaze and the small lift of his lips as she concentrated on loosening the button of her dress coat. She also took the time to settle her purse in the guest chair. “I appreciate you meeting me on such short notice. I don’t want to keep you any longer than necessary, so I’ll get right to the point of my visit—we know why you gave Mara Miles two large sums of money.”
Derek leaned back in his chair. He studied her intently before gesturing toward the seat. She perched on the edge, wanting him to know that she was serious about the amount of time she had to devote to this meeting.
“Mara was being blackmailed,” Sylvie said, taking the lead so everything was out in the open. “There are two things we don’t understand. The first is why Mara never paid her blackmailer. The second is why you would have been the person she trusted with that information in the first place.”
“I can’t answer the first, but I gave Mara the money because she needed a break.” Derek rested his elbow on the arm of his chair, still holding his coffee mug. He appeared relaxed in response, and Sylvie found no reason to distrust his replies. “She was visibly upset when I walked past her table, and I stopped to ask if she was alright. She was barely keeping it together. Right time, right place. She shared with me the reason someone was trying to extort her, and—”
“Someone discovered that Mara was an escort.” Sylvie figured by her saying aloud the motivation behind the blackmail, Derek would stop keeping information close to his chest. “Why would she ask for money from you? You already stated the two of you weren’t friends. There was technically no relationship at all, yet you didn’t hesitate to transfer large sums of cash into her account.”
“I don’t think Mara meant to tell me anything, but her emotions got the best of her. She was upset, I happened to be there, and I had the means to help her. She didn’t want to transfer any money that might alert Jordan to the fact that something was wrong. The situation was simple, and I gave her my word to keep her situation private due to the sensitivity of the subject matter." Derek’s voice was steady, denoting that he didn’t regret his choice to help Mara Miles, even though doing so had landed him as a suspect in her murder. “And to answer your next question, I have no idea the identity of her blackmailer.”
Sylvie could have reprimanded him over keeping such valuable information to himself, but Derek would have responded that he believed he was doing right by Mara Miles. The fact that they had lost an entire day in their murder investigation would not have mattered to him.
“You might not know the person’s identity, but maybe Mara mentioned something that you’ve forgotten? Male? Female? Someone from her past? Someone out to get her husband?”
Derek took a moment to mull over her questions, but in the end, he shook his head in response to them all. Fortunately, he did have an explanation as to why Mara hadn’t paid her blackmailer after the first deposit.
“Mara said the initial sum wasn’t enough and that her blackmailer had doubled the price.” Derek leaned forward and set the coffee mug on his desk. “As for why the entire amount was never paid to this blackmailer, I would assume it is because Mara died before the exchange could take place.”
Sylvie had come to the same conclusion. She also had no follow-up questions regarding Mara Miles. If the woman had never revealed one detail about her blackmailer, then Derek’s part in the investigation had just come to an end.
Sylvie eased out of the chair while picking up her purse in the process.
“I appreciate you making time for me this morning, Mr. Haze.”
“I was hoping we were past formalities, Sylvie,” Derek said warmly as he stood in response. “Now that you know I didn’t engage in…what did you insinuate the other day? Oh, that’s right. Corporate espionage. Would you finally have that dinner with me?”
Sylvie once again found herself genuinely wanting to take him up on his invitation. To prevent herself from making a mistake, she avoided giving him an answer by inquiring about another topic altogether.
“I am curious about something,” Sylvie revealed as she stepped out from the guest chair. She buttoned her coat before withdrawing the leather gloves she had tucked into her pocket. “Do you make it a practice of stealing employees from other firms?”
Derek laughed, the warm sound echoing through the empty office.
“I have never met a woman who seems so intent on believing me to be this cold and calculating CEO,” Derek mused, his eyes sparkling with amusement. She fought back a smile of her own. “I assure you, Sylvie, I am not in the business of poaching employees. Stewart Leone heard from another colleague that my CFO was retiring come summer. He sought me out, not the other way around. My only stipulation was that he make sure there were at least three to six months between when he handed in his resignation at Miles Therapeutics to when he took over the CFO duties here at Haze Innovations Group. I’m sure his contract has some type of competitor clause, anyway. If you don’t believe me, feel free to ask Ruth about my hiring practices.”
“Thank you for your time, Mr. Haze.”
Sylvie stopped in the open doorway, realizing that she never closed it behind her. The reference to Ruth and her position had Sylvie wondering if perhaps Derek didn’t know something more after all.
“Jordan was already aware of Mara’s past. It doesn’t make sense that she would turn to you unless there was more to the story.” Sylvie had shifted her stand to observe his reaction. “Did Mara happen to mention anything to you about where she was going after leaving the restaurant?”
Derek remained behind his desk, but he wore a puzzled expression as he crossed his arms. For a brief moment, she thought that he would once again use his promise to Mara to shield any of her other secrets. Fortunately, he seemed to believe he wasn’t sharing anything out of turn.
“Mara and Jordan wanted a baby, and she was seeing a fertility specialist.”
“A fertility specialist?”
Derek narrowed his eyes in response to her follow-up question.
“Jordan didn’t mention to you that they were trying to have a baby?”
It was Sylvie’s turn not to talk out of turn. She wouldn’t reveal private information about the Miles’ marriage. While the prosecutor was already suggesting marital strife during his interviews, Sylvie wouldn’t confirm nor deny those rumors. It wasn’t her place, especially given that she was still investigating Mara's death.
“I’m struggling with why Mara would share something so intimate with a…let’s be honest…an acquaintance.”
“Like I said, Mara was emotional. I don’t think telling me about her problems was something she set out to do. Once she started to talk, it all spilled out like a knocked-over glass of milk. From my understanding, Mara had her tubes tied years ago, and she was taking steps to reverse the procedure. Hence the need for a fertility specialist. It’s also the reason why the blackmail scheme hit so close to home.”
“Do you know the name of the fertility specialist?” Sylvie asked, wondering if the doctor’s name didn’t have the initials AM. “The clinic’s name, maybe?”
“I honestly don’t know. Mara never mentioned any names in particular,” Derek said as he stepped out from behind his desk. Sylvie had gotten everything she needed from their meeting, though. She nodded her appreciation before turning, but as if déjà vu took hold, he called out to her one more time. “I can respect another individual's work ethic, Sylvie. And I hope that when your investigation concludes, you reach out to me again. I really would enjoy getting to know you.”