Chapter 89: We found the mole

Gideon’s pov

"We have a problem."

I set my pen down, giving Milo my full attention. The Pandora project files could wait. This problem, with the way Milo said it, had to be substantial enough if he couldn’t handle it on his own.

"What is it?"

"Well," he began, dragging a hand through his hair. "Technically, it could be a good thing. We may have found our mole. Or it could be a very bad thing, depending on how you look at it."

"Get to the point, Milo."

"Tyler," The name dropped like a stone, and my brows furrowed. "The police just arrested Tyler. He was trying to purchase fake IDs."

"Tyler? Why would he be trying to purchase fake visas and passports at a police station?"

"Obviously, he wants to leave the country," Milo grumbled, whipping out his phone. "He just called me, panicking, begging me to come bail him out. I told him I had to talk to you first, and he threatened me."

My brows arched in surprise.

"Look, I recorded the call." He tapped the screen, and a recording began to play through the phone’s speaker. The quality was thin, but the voice was definitely Tyler’s.

"Milo, please! I have to get out of Wisteria soon! I’m begging you!"

"Tyler? Tell me what’s going on. What do you mean you have to get out of Wisteria? How did you get arrested?"

"Just come get me. Don’t tell the boss."

"Tyler, the only way we can help you is if we know the truth-"

"You have to help me! I have videos of Roman beating up that senator at the gala! I’ll expose them! I’ll expose everything to the public if you don’t help me!"

The recording cut off. I leaned back in my chair, my mind processing the information. Tyler? The mole? It made no sense. He was a manager, reliable, but what could be his motive?

"Play it again," I commanded.

Milo did. This time, I listened closer. "I didn’t realize you and Tyler were close."

"Oh, come on, Gid, you know I’m friendly to a fault," He sighed, flopping on the chair before me. "This is a mess."

"He’s framing himself," I stated, cracking my knuckles. "This is too convenient, and if he is the mole, he wouldn’t be that stupid. He was not even present at the gala, so how would he have a recording?"

"God, he’s threatening to expose Roman. You have no idea how desperate some people can be, you know. He’s the mole, and we have to go down there. We have to handle this."

He was right about one thing. We had to go. If Tyler was the mole, he was a loose end that I needed to close up.

And if he wasn’t?

Then that meant someone was using him as a pawn, and I needed to know who was pulling the strings.

The Wisteria City Police Department was a place I preferred to avoid. The moment we stepped through the doors, the officers straightened, their conversations dying. The desk sergeant practically snapped to attention, his eyes wide with surprise.

"M-M-Mr. Knight," he stuttered, adjusting his uniform shakily. "What a surprise... I... "

"Welcome, Mr Knight. We’re honored to have you here," A detective stepped forward, holding a hand out for a handshake.

I took it briskly, giving him a curt nod. He must have been expecting us. "Where is he?"

"Straight to the point, sir." The detective grinned, then cleared his throat awkwardly when I gave him a blank look. "Of course, sir. Detective Miller is interrogating him in Room 7. Come with me."

As we walked down the corridor, a faint whiff of a very familiar scent whipped my nose, making me stop in my tracks for a second. My head cocked to the side as my eyes snapped closed, breathing in her scent.

Miss Harpley.

"Mr Knight?"

"Gid?"

I opened my eyes to see Milo and the detective staring at me in confusion, and my jaw clenched in fury at myself. Since when was I some lovesick fool, linking everything back to my housekeeper?

Hallucinating about her at a police station had to be the height of madness. With a clenched jaw, I shook it off and continued following the detective.

He led us to the observation area where there was a one-way mirror showing the dull grey interrogation room. Tyler sat at a metal table, looking small and pale, sweating furiously. On the other side of the table, a detective loomed over him.

"He’s probably denying everything," Milo scoffed from beside me. "Look at him putting on a pathetic act. I can’t believe you trusted someone like him, Gideon."

I said nothing; my eyes were fixed on the scene unfolding behind the glass.

"We caught you trying to get a fake passport, son." The detective slammed his palm on the desk. "You were trying to leave Wisteria, weren’t you?"

"It was a bet!" Tyler insisted, his voice cracking. "A stupid, drunken bet with my friends! That’s all!"

"A bet?" Miller gave a harsh, grating laugh. "Do you expect us to believe that? What about the listening device planted at the Knight mansion? The CCTV? The tracker?"

"I didn’t do that! I swear!" Tyler cried, his head shaking frantically from side to side.

"Lying through his teeth," Milo muttered.

Miller leaned in closer. "We even caught you meeting with Calloway, selling him company secrets,"

"I’ve never spoken to Calloway in my life!" Tyler shrieked, his face turning a blotchy red.

"Really?" Miller slid a stack of glossy photos across the table. "Then who is this?"

Tyler stared at the photos, his mouth agape. His whole body began trembling furiously. "No... that’s not... that’s not me..." he stuttered, his breathing becoming ragged. He clutched at his chest, his face flushing a deep, alarming crimson.

"Is he seriously trying to get out of questioning by pretending to have a panic attack?"

Tyler’s wheezing grew louder. "I... I need... a lawyer..." he gasped, his eyes rolling back in his head. "Get me my lawyer..."

Miller either didn’t hear him or didn’t care. "Who are you working for? Who told you to do this?"

Tyler’s body went rigid. His eyes widened in terror, and then, with a soft sigh, he slumped sideways out of his chair, and his body hit the floor with a heavy thud.

"Oh, for goodness sake," Milo groaned. "That’s pathetic. He should have just confessed."

The detective cursed under his breath and stormed out of the room, barking orders for a paramedic. He saw us and stopped, a grim look on his face. "Mr. Knight. We’ll get to the bottom of this. I assure you."

"See that you do," I replied curtly, and Milo shot me a sideways glance, probably surprised by my lack of fury as we walked out of the observation room.

"You don’t think he’s lying?" He asked once we were in the corridor.

"It’s a shock to know Tyler is the mole, but nothing is confirmed yet, until the police can confirm it."

"What?" Milo sputtered. "Gid, all the evidence is pointing to him!"

"The evidence does look compelling," I agreed.

Tyler’s panic attack had been too real, though. Also, the evidence... it was too perfect. The recording, the photos... it was such a sloppy story put together.

What did Tyler have against the Knights Industries? He had only been to the mansion once, for the recent conference meeting that my brothers and I had arranged as a trap. He could have planted the device then, but what about everything else?

The other security breaches that had been happening before that, and getting some of our company secrets stolen by Calloway? How did Tyler link to any of it?

It didn’t make sense.

I was so deep in thought, walking out of the station’s exit, that I almost missed it.

That I almost missed her.

Standing on the curb, frantically waving for a cab while arguing with a woman next to her, was-

"Miss Harpley?"

What in God’s name was she doing here?