Chapter 286 - 286: 286 | A Private Meeting

<🎧 Song Recommendation: No Time to Die by Billie Eilish>

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By the time the convoy reached Detroit on Saturday evening, the trouble with Meridian had stopped threatening the tour's schedule.

Vanguard's three-million-dollar advance had covered the urgent payments, and David had sent the production ahead for Sunday's show without having to negotiate another extension.

The investigation was another matter. Zack still couldn't establish who had authorized the transfer from Emily's personal account, and the documents he'd obtained continued to point back to her.

Von had asked for updates, but there was little he could do with the same answers every morning. Denver and both Chicago dates had gone ahead as planned, and he intended to keep it that way.

That night, Von ordered dinner to the hotel suite rather than go out with the others. Emily was sitting on the carpet beside an open suitcase when the food arrived, sorting the clothes she'd brought from Chicago into two untidy piles.

"You know they have people who'll do that for you, right?" Von asked, setting the bags on the table.

"And then I'd have to explain where everything goes." She held up one of his shirts. "Is this clean?"

"I hope so."

Emily looked at him, then tossed it into the laundry pile. Von laughed and went to unpack the food while she finished with the suitcase.

They ate on the couch with a film playing at low volume. Neither of them was working, and their phones lay forgotten on the coffee table.

Halfway through, Emily rested her head on his shoulder, and Von put his arm around her without taking his eyes off the screen.

"After New York, we're taking a break," he said.

Emily smiled against his shoulder. "I'd like that."

Von kissed the top of her head and reached for the remote when the credits started. They stayed on the couch a little longer, talking about places they might visit, until Emily finally got up to finish unpacking.

***

(Sunday, November 15th, 2020 — Detroit)

Von had just finished a late breakfast when Emily came into the suite with her handbag and a folder tucked beneath one arm. She hadn't slept as well as he had, but he was used to seeing her awake before him. What caught his attention was that she'd left her laptop behind.

"You heading out?" he asked.

"Not without you." Emily sat opposite him. "I need you to come somewhere with me this afternoon."

"Where?"

"I arranged a meeting. It's about my old account."

Von put down his fork. "Didn't Zack tell us to leave that to the investigators?"

"He did. But I know someone who might be able to explain why that account was used. He worked with me years ago, before I became your manager. I've been trying to get him to speak to me all week."

"Then give Zack his number."

Emily glanced at the folder. "He won't talk to Zack. He doesn't want his name appearing anywhere in the investigation, and I can't blame him for that."

"So he wants to talk to me instead?"

"Yes. I've arranged for him to come to Detroit. I want you to hear what he has to say."

"Who is he?"

"Martin Shaw. He worked in accounts at my old agency. He knew about that bank account before I stopped using it."

Von considered her answer. He'd known Emily had a career before they met, but she rarely discussed it, and their conversations about her past always seemed to end before he could learn much.

"What agency?" he asked.

Emily hesitated. "The one I worked for in Los Angeles."

"Em."

"I'll explain it. I promise. But I need you to hear him first. There are things about that time I haven't told you, and I don't want to get halfway through them and have you wondering whether I'm just trying to defend myself."

Von studied her face. She'd spent the last week looking for evidence that might clear her, but this was the first time she'd asked him to meet someone herself.

"If he's got something useful, Zack needs to know about it," he said. "I'm not keeping him out of this."

"I know. You can tell Zack everything afterward. I'm only asking you to listen first."

"And where's this meeting?"

"A private conference suite at the hotel across from the business district. I booked it yesterday. He agreed to meet us there at two."

Von checked the time. They still had several hours before he needed to be at the arena.

The conference suite occupied one end of a privately operated executive center on the third floor of a downtown hotel.

The corridor was quiet, with a small reception area, a lounge overlooking the street and several meeting rooms separated by glass walls. Von could see why Emily had chosen it. No reporters were waiting outside, and nobody in the lobby had paid them any attention.

His security officers arrived ahead of them. One checked the consultation room while the other spoke to the receptionist about the adjoining doors and who had access to the floor. The room had a long table, a display screen and a glass wall facing the corridor. Its door opened freely from inside, but a card was needed to open it from the hallway. The private wing had a separate guest-pass system.

"We'll be right here," the senior guard told Von when the inspection was finished, indicating the lounge a short distance away. He and his partner had obtained guest passes to the wing, although Emily held the separate key card to the room. "Call if you need us."

"Keep your phones on," Von replied.

Emily checked them in at reception. The booking was under her name, and when the receptionist handed over the conference-room card, she signed for it. She also confirmed that Martin Shaw was the only other visitor expected. The security officers stayed in the lounge at her request, close enough to be called but out of sight of the meeting.

They waited together in the conference room. Von examined the framed photographs on the wall while Emily arranged her folder at the end of the table. A little before two, she received a message and stood.

"He's here. I'll bring him in."

"Alright."

Von watched her leave through the main door. She was gone for a few minutes, long enough for him to wonder whether her contact had changed his mind.

Then he saw her returning through the glass with a man in a navy coat, speaking closely enough that he couldn't make out their words.