“What’s absurd is that you knew enough about this garage to add a nonstandard subsurface-assets waiver and still never told me why.”
Silence.
Several directors turned toward Harlan.
He said:
“I did no such thing.”
Naomi raised the document.
“Your office transmitted the clause.”
“My office transmits thousands of documents.”
Camille said:
“Then you won’t mind forensic review.”
Harlan’s face went still.
There it was again.
The man Camille had trusted most.
Not shouting.
Not confessing.
Simply becoming colder every time transparency was mentioned.
The board voted seven to four for independent investigation.
Harlan voted no.
Camille abstained because of personal conflict.
That evening, Harlan called her privately.
She almost did not answer.
Then did.
“Camille.”
His voice sounded older.
“You are destroying your father’s company.”
She stood alone outside the garage.
Sunset turned the sky pale orange over the industrial roofs.
“No.”
“I’m finding out what happened to him.”
“You already know.”
“He died because he refused to slow down.”
“You did not know Graham the way I did.”
Camille laughed quietly.
“That line worked better when I was eleven.”
Harlan exhaled.
“Your father was brilliant.”
“He was also obsessive.”
“He thought every compromised component meant conspiracy.”
“He would destroy a division before admitting acceptable risk.”
“Did he cancel the Monday test?”
Silence.
“Harlan?”
“Yes.”
Camille’s heart pounded.
“Who rescheduled?”
“I don’t remember.”
“You signed the crash report.”
“I signed hundreds of pages.”
“Which chassis crashed?”
“Camille.”
“One or three?”
“You are simplifying.”
“One or three?”
He did not answer.
Camille whispered:
“You knew.”
Harlan’s voice changed.
“You have no idea what that week was like.”
She stopped.
That was not denial.
She closed her eyes.
“What happened?”
“The company had six weeks of cash.”
“Crown was threatening breach litigation.”
“Investors were ready to pull.”
“Your father wanted to halt every vehicle using a related steering architecture even though we had no field failures.”
“Was the AR-7 rack defective?”
“We had conflicting tests.”
“Did you move chassis three into his schedule?”
Silence.
“Harlan.”
“You’re asking questions you don’t understand.”
“That’s a yes.”
“No.”
“That is not what I said.”
“Then say no.”
He breathed.
Nothing.
Camille’s face became wet.
She had not realized she was crying.
“You watched me bury him.”
Harlan’s voice cracked for the first time.
“I loved your father.”
“That is not an answer.”