Chapter 32 - What Lang Wouldn’t Say
Grace asked the receptionist to write down exactly what she had seen. She did not try to take the folded paper from Lang or his attorney. Once they had left the building, she entered the incident in the audit log and notified the company’s counsel.
“Could that note relate to the exposure review?” I asked.
“It could relate to anything,” she said. “We can’t treat it as proof.”
Still, the words followed me through the rest of the day.
That evening, the audit committee’s attorney received a letter from Lang’s lawyer. It said Lang had no original notes from the October meeting and denied removing any report from the company’s files. The letter also said Lang would not provide personal devices without a court order.
The next morning, Daniel found a second payment to Lang’s company. It had been issued two weeks after the first, under a different description: supplemental risk analysis.
“Was the work delivered?” Charles asked.
“The invoice says yes,” Daniel replied. “There’s no report attached.”
Grace asked Finance to trace the payment. The money had been transferred to a subcontractor called Harbor Point Analytics. That company had no employees listed in its state filing and shared an office address with Lang Compliance Services.
The board’s outside counsel requested the subcontractor’s records.
At the warehouse, the news had spread. People were hearing that a consultant had been paid to review the missing report. They wanted to know whether that meant the company had known the report was serious.
I held a short meeting with the supervisors. I told them to repeat only what the company had confirmed: a report existed, the board had not received it, and the investigation was still active. No one should claim that the company had proved a cover-up.
“Workers don’t want legal language,” Maria said after the meeting. “They want a straight answer.”
“I know.”
“Then tell them what we know.”
We gathered the crew in the break room before shift change. I explained that a consultant had reviewed the report, but the audit team had not yet received his records. I told them about the two payments and the missing recommendation.
Earl’s face grew dark. “So somebody got paid to give advice, and nobody can remember what the advice was.”
“That’s where the evidence stands.”
“Then we should ask why.”
“We are.”
A young maintenance worker named Cole raised his hand. “Could that report have been about the air sample near the shed?”
“Yes,” I said. “That’s what the lab record suggests.”
Cole looked down at his gloves. “I worked in that shed most nights.”
Maria put a hand on his shoulder. “You can schedule a consultation. You don’t need to tell anyone what you discuss.”
He nodded, but his eyes remained fixed on the table.
After the meeting, Charles called me. The board had decided to contact the state agency with the new payment records and the details of Lang’s interview. The agency asked the company to provide all consultant contracts and communications related to the environmental records.
“Do we know whether Lang had another copy of the report?” I asked.
“Not yet.”
“He might still have it.”
“His lawyer says he doesn’t.”
I looked through the office window at the dark control panel and thought about how many records had disappeared into convenient gaps.
That evening, I called Tessa. She was still recused from the matter, but she knew the investigation had expanded.
“Have you heard from anyone at your agency?” she asked.
“No.”
“Good. I don’t want to be treated as a source.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to be.”
“I know. But people keep saying, ‘Your father must know something.’”
“I’m sorry.”
She was quiet for a moment. “Dad, if this becomes public, will you still go to work?”
“I’ll still show up.”
“That’s what I thought.”
When I hung up, Grace sent a message. The calendar entry for the meeting with Lang had a second attachment that IT had not recovered before.
May you like
The title was Site Review—Preliminary Air Results.
The file had been created the day before Victor’s exposure review.
