Chapter 7 - Why Daniel was flying to Chicago
The Chicago meeting was real.
Not an ordinary audit meeting.
Daniel had scheduled it with Caroline Shaw, an attorney retained personally, not by Northline.
She specialized in corporate investigations and whistleblower matters.
She had arranged a 7:30 a.m. meeting with outside counsel for one of Northline’s independent directors.
Daniel planned to turn over a preliminary evidence package.
Not to federal agents.
Not yet.
Board counsel.
Forensic accountants.
Then, depending on findings, potentially law enforcement.
Why not handle it in Columbus?
Daniel did not trust Northline’s email or internal legal department.
Nathan had broad administrative access.
One of Nathan’s allies supervised IT.
Daniel believed an in-person meeting reduced the chance the evidence would disappear before the board saw it.
Reasonable.
His next choice was not.
Daniel kept duplicate records at home.
A company laptop.
Printed vendor schedules.
A portable encrypted storage device.
Not because he was a spy.
Because he feared company systems would be altered.
Caroline had warned him:
“Do not take records outside lawful scope.”
He copied files he had legitimate access to through his job.
Still, company counsel later argued he exceeded policy.
He also left some materials in our home office.
The intruder knew or suspected that.
The evidence Daniel intended to carry to Chicago was in his travel bag.
The evidence left behind was enough to expose the same vendor pattern.
Evan Ross followed Daniel to the airport.
Daniel saw him.
Still boarded the terminal shuttle.
Still did not call me.
Why?
Daniel later said:
“I thought following me meant he wanted the bag.”
May you like
Not the house.
That assumption nearly destroyed us.
