Chapter 8 - THE DRIVER
The Lexus driver turned out not to be Nicholas.
That disappointed public imagination.
It improved the case.
His name was Eric Sloan.
Contract security driver.
Former private investigator.
Occasional work for Nathaniel Carver.
Traffic cameras caught his face at a gas station after the incident.
Brooks found him three days later.
Sloan denied targeting Emma.
Then phone records showed a call.
4:43 p.m.
From a prepaid device.
Towered near Carver Meridian.
Eleven minutes later, another call.
4:54.
Then the Lexus moved.
The prepaid device was later found in a trash compactor behind the tower.
Fingerprints useless.
But internal elevator logs showed one executive using the service exit at 4:38.
Nicholas’s chief of staff.
Rachel Morrow.
She initially denied involvement.
Then prosecutors showed her the timing.
She asked for counsel.
Eventually, she cooperated.
Nicholas told her:
“Emma is leaving with documents. Have Sloan retrieve them.”
Rachel claimed she believed Sloan would stop Emma and recover company property.
Not hit her.
She called Sloan.
Said:
“Do whatever you need to do before she reaches home.”
Ambiguous.
Dangerous.
Sloan interpreted aggressively.
He admitted aiming the Lexus close enough to frighten Emma and force her to drop the folder.
He insisted he never meant to kill her.
The car went farther because of rain.
Maybe true.
Maybe self-serving.
Emma did not need to decide.
The law would.
Nicholas had not ordered murder.
But he had created the chain.
Again.
Like the transfers.
Like Michael.
He preferred indirect commands.
May you like
Enough distance to deny.
Enough pressure to produce results.
