Chapter 3 - The Corporate Envelope
The dark leather folder lay open on the linoleum floor, exposing the top document with bold red lettering that read Interstate Logistics Corp: Executive Relocation and Asset Division. Daniel lunged forward with a desperate speed, scooping the papers off the ground before either Claire or Elena could read further. He clutched the sheaf of documents against his black sweater, his knuckles white. But the brief glimpse Claire had caught was enough to spark an entirely new and darker mystery. Interstate Logistics was the multinational corporation where Daniel claimed to work regional accounts, a job that supposedly required him to travel to Ohio and Michigan every other week.
"Asset division?" Claire said, narrowing her eyes. "Since when does a regional sales rep handle asset division for a corporate giant?"
"It’s just paperwork, Claire. It doesn’t concern you," Daniel said, his voice laced with a sudden, frantic edge of panic that had nothing to do with their marital infidelity.
Elena straightened up, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. Her initial shock had hardened into a cold, calculating anger. She reached out and grabbed Daniel’s arm, her grip surprisingly strong.
"Everything concerns me now, Daniel," Elena said, her tone icy. "You told me you worked in software development. You told me your frequent trips were for software patches in Chicago. Now there’s corporate asset division? Who are you really?"
Daniel looked frantically around the terminal, as if searching for an escape route, but the security checkpoint was fifty yards away and the boarding gates were blocked by crowds. He swallowed hard, beads of sweat forming along his hairline.
"I work for the government, okay?" Daniel blurted out, lowering his voice to an urgent hiss. "Well, not directly. Interstate Logistics is a front. I’m a compliance auditor. I audit illicit accounts. That’s why I travel. That’s why I have to keep my lives separate. It’s for security."
Claire let out a sharp scoff, crossing her arms over her sparkling blue dress. "A government spy? Honestly, Daniel, infidelity makes men stupid, but turning yourself into a third-rate James Bond is pathetic. You sell commercial HVAC systems. I signed your company’s health insurance paperwork last month."
Daniel flinched, realizing his lie had fallen apart completely. Elena let go of his arm as if he had burned her. She picked up her white handbag from the chair, her expression shuttered.
"We are done, Daniel," Elena said quietly. "Get your luggage. We are not going to Honolulu."
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As Elena turned to walk toward the exit doors, a tall man in a plain gray suit stepped directly into her path, blocking her exit with quiet, menacing efficiency.
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