“It’s something I say when someone wants us to reach an answer too quickly.”
He asked whether Warren had ever shown unusual interest in my former work.
“Never. He barely showed interest in my current job.”
After leaving federal service, I had become a security consultant for hospitals and schools. Warren described it as checking door locks.
“Did Christine know about the lake house?” Daniel asked.
“She knew I traveled for work. Not the locations.”
“Did you ever mention Warren in a report?”
“No.”
“His company?”
I paused.
Warren had spent thirty years building Hale Development Group, a regional construction firm involved in government buildings, transportation projects, and private communities across Tennessee.
“We reviewed contractors during the Mercer investigation,” I said. “Hundreds of them.”
Daniel’s face changed.
“What?”
“Hale Development submitted a bid connected to one of the sites.”
“That doesn’t mean Warren was investigated.”
“No. But it means his name may exist somewhere in the archive.”
