Daniel reread it, then printed it. He had seen messages like it before, generally from managers who wanted a question to disappear without formally ordering anyone to stop asking. He replied that the charges were being allocated to his regional budget and therefore directly affected the numbers he was required to certify. He asked for either the shipment records or an explanation of why the regional budget was not the correct place to record them.
An hour later, Richard appeared in Daniel's office. He was in his early sixties, broad through the shoulders, with silver hair combed so precisely it seemed part of a uniform. His expensive suit and soft voice conveyed reassurance until one noticed that he never asked a question without already deciding what answer was acceptable.
"I hear you've been making great progress," Richard said, closing the door without being invited. "Quite the story, too. Good Samaritan on the bypass, the CEO in need, a job offer nobody saw coming."
Daniel kept his hands on the desk. "The routing pilot has held its improvement. We're preparing to extend it to two more hubs."
"I wasn't talking about the pilot." Richard smiled. "An unusual career opportunity can make a man feel invincible."
"I don't feel invincible. I feel responsible for the budget attached to my name."
Richard walked to the window. "Victoria is intelligent, but she's new to the demands of this position. She wants dramatic changes. People around her would be wise to recognize the difference between being useful and becoming a problem."
"Are you asking me to stop reviewing the vendor invoices?"
Richard turned. "I'm advising you to know which battles are worth fighting."
"The invoices aren't a battle. They're a question. Did the service happen, and who authorized payment?"
For the first time, the smile left Richard's face. "You don't know this company well enough to understand what you're looking at."
"Then help me understand it."
Richard studied him. The older man's eyes moved briefly to the photograph of Lily standing on Daniel's desk, then back to Daniel. "You have a family," he said. "You were out of work a long time. I would hate to see you throw away a second chance over a problem that isn't yours."
After Richard left, Daniel stayed seated for several minutes. The conversation had contained no direct threat that would be easy to quote. It had contained something more unsettling: a reminder that the consequences of disobedience could reach beyond the office. Daniel wrote down the date, time, and substance of the conversation while it was fresh, then called Naomi about the proper procedure for preserving work-related communications.
Victoria heard about the visit before the end of the day. Daniel entered her office carrying copies of the invoices and the memo of his conversation with Richard. She read the documents without interrupting. When she reached the phrase about his family, she set the paper down.