“By next week, Rhodes Aviation will be in free fall.”
Janet opened more files: emails, bank transfers, meeting schedules, a complete trail showing how Philip and Daniel had systematically bribed regulators to target Alicia’s company.
“Call Thomas,” Alicia told Sasha, referring to her attorney. “Get him here now and contact Marcus’s investigation team.”
“They need to verify every piece of this.”
Within an hour, her office had transformed into a war room. Thomas Whittaker paced as he listened to the recordings again, taking detailed notes.
Forensic accountants from Marcus’s firm examined the financial documents, while Janet’s team authenticated the digital trails.
“This is exactly what we needed,” Thomas said, pausing the playback. “But we have to move fast.”
“Once they realize this leaked, they’ll try to destroy evidence.”
“The regulators are already compromised,” Janet added. “They could start their investigation any moment.”
Alicia stood at her window, watching the city below.
“Then we go public before they can act. Full press conference, release everything at once.”
“But first,” she said, turning to Thomas, “what are the criminal implications here?”
“Multiple federal crimes,” he replied immediately. “Bribery, corruption, conspiracy.”
“The FBI’s public corruption unit would be very interested in this.”
“Make the call,” Alicia directed. “But tell them we’re going public tomorrow morning.”
“They can either get ahead of this or catch up later.”
Throughout the day, her team worked frantically to prepare. Sasha coordinated with media outlets, while Thomas drafted statements.
Janet’s people created secure backups of everything, protecting against possible cyber retaliation.
Late afternoon brought confirmation from Marcus’s investigators. Every document was authentic.
The recordings hadn’t been altered. The evidence was overwhelming.
As sunset approached, Alicia reviewed the press conference materials one final time. Photos of the bribed regulators, transcripts of Philip and Daniel’s conversations, bank records showing suspicious payments, everything needed to expose their corruption.
Her phone buzzed, an unknown number. She almost declined it, but something made her answer.
“Ms. Rhodes,” a woman’s voice said, professional and direct. “This is Special Agent Sarah Chen, FBI Public Corruption Unit.”
“We need to meet tonight.”
“Regarding Philip Lancaster and Daniel Roark?” Alicia asked carefully.
“And the evidence you’ve collected. We’re prepared to open a formal investigation, but we need to move quickly.”
“Can you come to our field office in an hour?”
Alicia checked the time.
“With my attorney?”
“Of course. We’ll have U.S. attorneys present as well.”
“This is serious, Ms. Rhodes. What you’ve uncovered goes beyond Elite Jets.”
Thomas arrived within minutes of her call. As they rode the elevator down to her waiting car, he reviewed federal statutes on his tablet.