Chapter 88:The Escalation

Leah sat at the conference table, the text message from Margaret still glowing on her phone screen. The shareholder vote had failed — 4.8M shares in favor, 6.2M against, simple majority not reached. Hunt Sr. and Martha had won. But Chen had spoken the truth publicly. The HT directive pattern. The $67M self-dealing. Martha's personal authorization signature. All now part of the public record even as the audit scope was limited. "We expected this," Margaret said, pacing the office. "Hunt Sr. has been calling in favors for three days. He had enough shares to block the vote. The question was never whether he could win the vote. It was whether he could win without exposing the conspiracy." She looked at Leah. "He lost that battle. Chen's public announcement means the criminal case has the audit evidence even without a full forensic review. The DA can subpoena the specific grant files Chen mentioned. Okafor can use the HT directive pattern in his investigation." Leah nodded. "But Martha won the institutional battle." "She won the vote," Margaret said. "But the vote was about limiting the audit scope, not stopping the criminal investigation. The DA is moving forward with grand jury. Okafor is building a case with witness testimony and documentation. Ethan is cooperating." She paused. "Martha lost the narrative war. The shareholder meeting was public. Reporters were present. Chen's announcement that the evidence showed Martha personally directed self-dealing — that's in the news now." Leah's phone buzzed. A text from Diana. I'm monitoring news coverage. The shareholder vote is being reported as "Hunt family and Martha Thorne block forensic audit despite evidence of self-dealing." The narrative is that Martha and Hunt Sr. have something to hide. Leah's next text: What about Chen's statement? Diana's response: The headlines are leading with Chen's words: "Evidence shows systematic pattern," "HT notation is Martha Thorne's personal authorization," "Audit is necessary to expose self-dealing." That's the story, not the vote outcome. Leah read the message. Martha had won the procedural vote but lost the narrative war. The story was about the evidence she wanted to hide, not about her success in blocking the audit. Her phone buzzed again. A text from Richard. Martha called me after the meeting. She didn't threaten me. She didn't offer me anything. She said one sentence: "I've done everything I can do institutionally. Now I handle this another way." Leah's next text: Does she mean escalation? Richard's response: I don't know. Her voice was tired. Not angry, not threatening. Just resigned. She said she's going to her Hamptons estate. She said not to contact her again. Leah read the message. Martha accepting institutional defeat. But "handle this another way" suggested escalation. The burn phone option she had held since Friday — receiving encrypted calls every hour — was becoming the only remaining weapon. And Catherine had reported that the burn phone had been active for at least forty-eight hours. Martha was receiving calls every hour since Friday night. Coordination. Instructions. Support. Someone was telling her what to do next. Leah's phone buzzed. A text from Catherine Voss. Detective Okafor called me. He said the grand jury is convening this week. I'll testify on Wednesday. He asked if I'm prepared for Martha's people to try to stop me. Leah's next text: Are you under protective detail? Catherine's response: Detective Okafor offered. He said he can move me to a safe house before Wednesday's testimony. He said Martha's people have been approaching former employees — the finance employee is wavering, the legal employee hasn't decided, others are frightened. She paused: I told him I'll go to the safe house. I'm tired of being afraid. I'll testify. Leah's next text: Where is the safe house? Catherine's response: He wouldn't tell me the location until I'm there. He said it's outside the city. He said I'll be moved tonight under guard. Leah read the message. Okafor was taking precautions. Catherine would testify under protection. But Martha's people were still approaching witnesses — applying pressure, offering deals, threatening consequences. The finance employee wavering. The legal employee undecided. The network was fracturing, but Martha was applying maximum pressure to break as many witnesses as possible. 1:30 PM. Margaret's office. Sarah Kim rushed in. "We have a problem. The forensic audit team — the lead accountant, she just received a threat." Margaret turned. "What kind?" "Personal threat," Sarah said. "Anonymous email with photos of her children leaving school this morning. Caption: 'We know where your family is. Limit the audit scope or the next photos are worse.'" Sarah's voice was tight. "The audit team lead is refusing to continue. She's withdrawing from the case." Leah's chest tightened. Martha was escalating. Not just institutional pressure, not just witness intimidation, but direct threats against audit team members' families. "We can replace her," Margaret said. "We can find another forensic firm." Sarah shook her head. "That takes time. Contracts, vetting, onboarding. We don't have time. Martha's goal is to delay the audit long enough for the shareholder vote to expire or for the board to rescind authorization." She looked at Leah. "If the audit team withdraws, the audit fails procedurally. Martha wins." Leah's next question: Can we protect the audit team lead's family? "Okafor can," Margaret said. "But the audit team lead is refusing to continue regardless. She's protecting her children. She doesn't believe we can keep them safe if Martha is willing to threaten them." Leah read between the lines. Martha had escalated to personal threats against children. The audit team lead was refusing to continue out of fear for her family's safety. This was Martha's escalation. Not legal challenges, not procedural delays, but direct intimidation. "Can we appeal to her sense of duty?" Leah asked. "Remind her that withdrawing lets Martha hide $67M of self-dealing?" "She knows that," Margaret said. "She's making a choice between her professional duty and her children's safety. And she's choosing her children." Leah's phone buzzed. A text from Diana. Venture capital firm is reconsidering their position. After the shareholder vote outcome, they're getting pressure too. Martha's people are calling their clients, warning them about doing business with a firm that opposes Martha's interests. Leah's next text: Are they wavering? Diana's response: They're meeting now. They'll announce their position by end of day. But the pressure is real. Martha is going after everyone who supported the audit — Chen, venture capital firm, audit team, even Richard. She paused: This is scorched earth. She's destroying relationships, threatening families, applying maximum pressure to anyone who opposes her. Leah read the message. Martha had shifted from defensive strategy to offensive retaliation. Anyone who had supported the audit or spoken truth was now a target. Her phone buzzed again. A text from Ethan. I received a personal threat. Email to my personal address — photos of my apartment door with a red X marked on it. Caption: "You think you're safe cooperating with the detective. You're not." Leah's chest tightened. Martha was escalating against Ethan too. Are you safe? Leah texted. Ethan's response: I'm at my apartment. I'm not leaving. Detective Okafor offered protective custody. I'm refusing. If I go into protective custody, I can't communicate. I can't help. He paused: But I'm also not answering my door. I'm not opening packages. I'm being careful. Leah's next text: My apartment is safe. If you need somewhere to stay, you can come here. Ethan's response: Thank you. But Martha knows where you live. If I stay with you, I put you in danger. I'll stay here and be careful. Leah read the message. Ethan was isolated, cut off from resources, facing personal threats, but still refusing protective custody because he wanted to maintain ability to communicate and help. And Martha was escalating systematically. Threats against audit team's children. Photos of Ethan's apartment. Pressure on venture capital firm's clients. Scorched earth. 2:45 PM. Margaret's office. The atmosphere was tense. Sarah coordinating with media to counter Martha's narrative. Two associates managing the witness protection pipeline. Margaret on phone with Okafor, coordinating safe house movements for Catherine and other witnesses. "Okafor is moving three witnesses tonight," Margaret said, hanging up her phone. "Catherine, the former legal department employee, and one of the Mount Sinai nurses. They'll be at the safe house by 8 PM." She looked at Leah. "The finance employee is still wavering. She received another offer from Martha's people — $500,000 if she recants her statement about grant discrepancy documentation. They're also threatening that if she doesn't recant, they'll expose her involvement in what they're calling 'questionable expense reporting' from her time at Thorne Group." Leah's next question: Is there evidence of questionable reporting? "No," Margaret said. "She filed legitimate expenses properly. Martha's people are fabricating a threat to pressure her. They know what charges they could use to destroy her reputation if she speaks truth." Leah read between the lines. Martha wasn't just threatening witnesses. She was fabricating evidence to use against them if they didn't recant. Character assassination. Career destruction. This was the same playbook Martha had used for decades. Don't confront the evidence. Destroy the witness. "Can we protect her?" Leah asked. "Okafor is offering," Margaret said. "But she's refusing protective custody. She's frightened, but she's also angry that Martha is fabricating evidence against her." She paused. "She said she'll make her decision by tomorrow morning." Leah's phone buzzed. A text from Richard. I'm being investigated. Martha's people filed a formal complaint with the New York State Bar Association about my professional conduct. They're alleging I violated attorney-client privilege by disclosing confidential documents to Isabella Voss without authorization from the board. Leah's next text: Can they disbar you? Richard's response: No. I didn't violate privilege. The documents I provided were from twenty-four years ago, from before I joined the Foundation board. They weren't attorney-client privileged communications. He paused: But the complaint itself is the punishment. It takes months to resolve. It damages my reputation. It creates doubt about my credibility. That's what Martha wants — not legal consequences, but reputational damage. Leah read the message. Martha was escalating against Richard too. Bar complaint. Reputational damage. Creating doubt about his credibility even as he spoke truth. Scorched earth — attacking anyone who opposed her. 3:30 PM. Sarah Kim's announcement. "Martha just held a press conference at her Hamptons estate," Sarah said. "She's not there in person. She's on video from a location that appears to be her estate but could be prerecorded. She's addressing the shareholder vote outcome." She turned on the TV. Martha's face appeared on screen. Composed, controlled, performing for an audience even from what appeared to be her Hamptons estate. "The shareholder vote today," Martha said, "was a misunderstanding of the Foundation's operations. The proposed audit scope was overly broad and would have disrupted charitable work the Foundation has done for decades. The limited audit that will proceed is sufficient to verify our compliance." She paused. "However, I'm deeply troubled by the unfounded allegations that have been made against me personally. The HT directive notation is an internal coding system for grant tracking, not a personal authorization signature. The $67M figure being cited is misleading — those PRI grants supported legitimate charitable work in healthcare, education, and medical research." She looked directly at the camera. "The claims about self-dealing are false. The claims about my personal direction of those grants are false. And the coordinated campaign to damage my reputation is a disinformation effort by hostile actors working with disgraced former CEO Ethan Hunt and troubled granddaughter Isabella Voss." Leah's throat tightened. Martha was doubling down on the narrative. HT directive as internal coding, not personal authorization. $67M as legitimate charitable work, not self-dealing. Claims of false narrative, not truth. And she was using Ethan and Leah as scapegoats again. "Let me be clear," Martha continued. "I have devoted my life to the Thorne Foundation's mission. I have built relationships, created programs, advanced causes for forty years. I will not allow a coordinated disinformation campaign to destroy that legacy." Her voice hardened slightly. "If this disinformation campaign continues, I will take appropriate legal action. And I will exercise all available options to protect the Foundation and my reputation from further harassment." Sarah muted the TV. "She didn't threaten directly. But 'exercise all available options' is escalation language. She's signaling that she's done with institutional battle and is moving to other tactics." Margaret nodded. "The burn phone. She's receiving hourly encrypted calls. She's getting instructions or support from someone. That 'other tactics' reference suggests coordination beyond her immediate circle." She looked at Leah. "Okafor is tracing the burn phone. But it takes time. And Martha may not wait for him to identify who she's calling." Leah's phone buzzed. A text from Ethan. I saw Martha's press conference. She's using me as scapegoat again. She called me "disgraced former CEO" and said I'm part of disinformation campaign. Leah's next text: Let her. She's desperate. Ethan's response: She's not desperate. She's escalating. "Exercise all available options" — she's preparing something. The burn phone calls, the threats, the scorched earth attacks on anyone who opposed her — she's moving beyond institutional battles. He paused: I think she's going after Okafor. He's building the criminal case. He's coordinating witness testimony. He's subpoenaing my medical records. He's the biggest threat to her right now. Leah read the message. Ethan was right. Okafor was the central figure building the criminal case — grand jury, witness testimony, evidence compilation, memory recovery pursuit with Ethan. If Martha eliminated Okafor, the criminal investigation would stall. Her phone buzzed. A text from Diana. Okafor just called me. He said he received a personal threat. Photos of his daughter at her school with a red X. Caption: "Drop the investigation or the next photos are worse." Leah's chest tightened. Martha was escalating against Okafor too — threatening his daughter. Is he safe? Leah texted. Diana's response: He moved his daughter to an undisclosed location under protective guard. He said she's safe now. But he's refusing to withdraw from the investigation. She paused: He said Martha has crossed a line. Threats against children — that's escalation beyond what he's seen in twenty years of homicide work. Leah read the message. Martha had escalated beyond witness intimidation to threats against children of law enforcement. This was scorched earth — anything and anyone was now a target. 5:00 PM. Margaret's office. Margaret received a call. Her expression tightened. "Okafor is convening an emergency meeting," she said. "He's bringing ADA Flores, the AG representative, and federal prosecutors. Martha's threats against children — that's attempted witness intimidation and obstruction of justice at the federal level." She looked at Leah. "He's requesting immediate protective custody for all witnesses and their families. He's requesting federal marshals for security. He's requesting expedited grand jury testimony before Martha can escalate further." Leah's next question: Can he get federal marshals? "He's requesting," Margaret said. "Threats against law enforcement children — that triggers federal protective resources. The question is whether the request will be approved quickly enough." She paused. "Martha knows this takes time. Every delay is another opportunity to threaten another witness, another child, another family." Leah's phone buzzed. A text from Richard. I'm leaving the city tonight. I'm going to my house in the Hudson Valley. Away from Martha's reach. Away from the Bar complaint, the trust threats, the institutional pressure. Leah's next text: Is that surrender? Richard's response: No. It's strategic. I can't help from here if Martha is escalating against everyone. But I can't be in the city and be useful — she'll target me, waste resources, divide attention. He paused: I'm removing myself as a target so the rest of you can focus. Catherine is going to safe house. Okafor is escalating to federal level. I'll be away but available by phone. Leah read the message. Richard was removing himself from the battlefield to protect others. If Martha targeted him, that would waste time and resources. By leaving, he forced Martha to focus on the remaining threats — Catherine, Okafor, Ethan, the witnesses. Strategic retreat, not surrender. 5:45 PM. Sarah Kim's announcement. "The finance employee made her decision," Sarah said. "She's refusing to recant. She's agreeing to testify." Margaret exhaled. "That's a breakthrough. Martha tried to buy her with $500,000. She tried to threaten her with fabricated evidence. The finance employee chose truth anyway." "She's also accepting protective custody," Sarah continued. "Okafor is moving her and her family to the safe house tonight. The legal department employee is still undecided — she received another offer, another threat, but hasn't committed either way." Leah's next text to Richard: Finance employee staying. Testifying. Going to protective custody. You leaving city was right — removed yourself as target so she can't be pressured to flip. Richard's response: Good. I'm driving north now. I'll monitor from distance. Call me if you need anything. Leah read the message. The network was breaking, but Martha was applying maximum pressure. Five witnesses testifying or cooperating. Three under protective custody. One undecided. And Martha was escalating beyond intimidation to threats against children. Her phone buzzed. A text from Catherine. Detective Okafor just called. I'm being moved tonight. Guard detail picking me up at 7 PM. I'm going to safe house outside the city. Leah's next text: Are you ready? Catherine's response: I'm terrified. I'm also ready. I've been afraid for twenty-four years. Tonight I choose truth. I'll testify before grand jury on Wednesday. Leah's throat tightened. Catherine was the first witness — the biological aunt who had lost baby Isabella and spent two decades in fear. Choosing truth now, after everything Martha had done to her. This was courage. 6:30 PM. Leah's phone buzzed. A text from Ethan. Detective Okafor called me again. He wants me to try hypnosis to recover blocked memories. He said a forensic psychologist he trusts can guide the process safely. Leah's next text: Are you going to do it? Ethan's response: I'm considering. He said the process is gradual — multiple sessions over weeks. He said not everything will come back at once. It's about recovering impressions, feelings, fragments. He paused: But if I can remember the night of October 24, 2002 — if I can describe who was there, what happened, who ordered the murders — that could destroy Martha's defense at trial. Leah read the message. Ethan was moving toward memory recovery, not for the criminal case's sake but for his own need to know. To understand what had been done to him, to the Voss family, to the truth he had been shaped to ignore. "Be careful," Leah texted. "Martha is escalating. She's threatening children, going after Okafor's daughter. If she learns you're trying to recover memories, she'll escalate further." Ethan's response: I know. But Okafor is moving me to protective custody after the first hypnosis session. He said I'll be under federal marshals during the process. He said the psychologist is cleared and the location is secret. Leah read the message. Ethan was accepting protective custody for the memory recovery process. He was choosing truth despite personal risk, despite Martha's escalation. Her phone buzzed. A text from Margaret. Okafor just confirmed — federal marshals approved. They're deploying tonight to protect all witnesses and their families. Protective custody for the safe house is under federal authority. The grand jury testimony is expedited for this Wednesday. She looked at Leah. "This is good. Federal protection raises the stakes for Martha. Threats against witnesses under federal protection become federal crimes. She can still try, but the consequences are higher." Leah nodded. "Does this stop her?" "No," Margaret said. "She's burned through institutional options. The audit failed. The shareholder vote was lost. The press conference narrative didn't work. She's escalating to threats and intimidation. The next step is direct action." She paused. "Okafor thinks she's preparing to eliminate witnesses. Not through intimidation anymore, but through direct harm. The burn phone calls — she's getting instructions on how and who to target." Leah read between the lines. Martha had exhausted institutional and legal channels. She was moving toward violence. Eliminating witnesses. Removing the people who could testify against her. The criminal case was building. The evidence was accumulating. The witnesses were speaking. But Martha was escalating to physical threats before the grand jury could indict. Tuesday, May 28th, 2024. 8:00 AM. Leah's apartment. Leah woke to a message from Ethan. I'm moving to protective custody this morning. Federal marshals picking me up at 9 AM. I'll be at a secret location for the hypnosis sessions. Okafor said the psychologist will start tomorrow. Leah's next text: I'll support you however I can. Stay safe. Ethan's response: Thank you. For everything. For believing me when I was lying to myself. For giving me truth even when it destroyed my career and family. He paused: I'll remember what I can. Whatever happened that night, I'll speak it. Leah read the message. Ethan was going into protective custody, facing memory recovery that might reveal he had witnessed premeditated murder, choosing truth over comfort. His entire identity was about to be shattered by recovered memory. And he was thanking her — the person whose life he had been shaped to replace. Her phone buzzed. A text from Catherine. I'm at the safe house. It's outside the city. Federal marshals are guarding. I'm scheduled for grand jury testimony Wednesday. Detective Okafor visited this morning — he said the grand jury will hear from me, from the finance employee, from two of the Mount Sinai witnesses. Leah's next text: Are you feeling safe? Catherine's response: Yes. The marshals are professional. The location is secure. I'm tired but I'm not afraid anymore. I spent twenty-four years afraid. Tonight I sleep in peace. Leah's throat tightened. Catherine was finally finding peace after decades of fear. Truth as freedom. Her phone buzzed again. A text from Diana. Venture capital firm made their decision. They're NOT reconsidering their position. They're doubling down on support for the audit. They're issuing a public statement condemning Martha's threats against audit team and witnesses. Leah's next text: That's significant. Public support against Martha's intimidation. Diana's response: Yes. They said they won't be pressured by threats against their clients. They said Martha's scorched earth tactics confirm the evidence she's trying to hide. They're calling for the full audit scope to be reinstated by shareholder vote. She paused: But that requires a new shareholder meeting. Martha and Hunt Sr. will block that if they can. Leah read the message. The venture capital firm was fighting back. Public statement condemning Martha's intimidation. But Martha and Hunt Sr. controlled the shareholder voting process. They wouldn't allow a new vote unless forced. Margaret's office phone rang. She answered, listened, her expression tightening. "Okafor," she said, hanging up. "Martha just received another encrypted call from the burn phone. This one lasted 22 minutes." She looked at Leah. "Twenty-two minutes is the longest call yet. She's getting detailed instructions. She's planning something that requires coordination." Leah's next question: Can he trace the call? "Not quickly," Margaret said. "Encrypted burn phones take weeks to trace if they're properly configured. But Okafor is prioritizing this trace. The longer the call, the more data points it generates." She paused. "But Martha doesn't care if she's traced. She's preparing to eliminate witnesses before the grand jury testifies. By the time the trace completes, she'll have executed whatever plan she received on that call." Leah read between the lines. Martha had moved beyond intimidation to planning direct harm. Elimination. The burn phone calls were coordination, not just reassurance. And Ethan was in protective custody beginning memory recovery. Catherine was in safe house preparing for grand jury testimony. Witnesses were under federal marshals. The criminal case was accelerating. Martha was running out of time. And she had only one weapon left — direct action against witnesses. 10:30 AM. Leah's phone buzzed. A text from Margaret. Emergency meeting. Okafor, ADA Flores, AG representative, federal prosecutors. They're convening at 11 AM at federal building. They've traced the burn phone call to a geographic location. Leah's next text: Where? Margaret's response: Can't share openly. But Okafor said the location is Martha's Hamptons estate. The encrypted call originated from within her property. She paused: This confirms Martha is receiving instructions from someone at her estate. Not calling out to an external conspirator, but receiving calls from someone already there. Leah's throat tightened. Martha was at her Hamptons estate. Someone was there with her, receiving instructions through the burn phone or giving them. The coordination was happening at her private location. And if that location was the same estate where Martha had stored her private archive for twenty-four years — where she had kept the documents, evidence, and secrets of the conspiracy — then the person she was coordinating with had access to the deepest network information. Who had that kind of access and was willing to escalate to witness elimination? Leah's phone buzzed. A text from Diana. I just realized something. Martha's Hamptons estate — that's where the archive was evacuated from 245 E 54th in March. The archive where she kept Voss file, the birth certificate, the hospital payment, the custody transfer. Leah's next text: What are you thinking? Diana's response: Who had access to that archive? Not just Martha. Who worked there? Who handled the evacuation? Who knows what documents were stored there? She paused: If someone from that inner circle is with Martha now — coordinating the escalation — that's the person she's taking instructions from. Leah read the message. Martha's inner circle had narrowed over the last months. Pemberton had turned. Webb had betrayed her. Richard had broken with her. Olivia was unreliable. Sebastian was controllable. The remaining inner circle members — who was at Martha's side now? Her phone buzzed. A text from Margaret: Okafor just identified someone at Martha's estate. Through satellite surveillance and cross-referencing known associates. The person matching the physical description is Howard Pemberton. Leah's chest tightened. Pemberton — the man who had turned against Martha, signed cooperation agreement, provided evidence of her direct orders for Voss murders and baby swap. Was at her estate now. Coordinating the burn phone calls. "You have to be wrong," Leah texted back. "Pemberton signed cooperation agreement. He's under our protection. He's providing testimony." Margaret's response: That's what we thought too. Okafor is investigating whether he's been double-crossing us. Whether his cooperation was a setup. Whether he's playing both sides. She paused: But if Pemberton is with Martha, coordinating escalation — then he knows everything we have. He knows our witness list. He knows our strategy. He knows the evidence we're presenting. Leah read between the lines. If Pemberton had betrayed them, Martha knew everything. Witness list. Strategy. Evidence. Timeline. And she would use that knowledge to eliminate witnesses before the grand jury could hear their testimony. Her phone buzzed. A text from Diana. I just contacted Okafor. He said Pemberton signed cooperation agreement under oath. He provided DNA sample for verification. He's under monitoring 24/7. He hasn't left his location since signing. Leah's next text: So how can he be at Martha's estate? Diana's response: Okafor thinks it's not Pemberton himself. It's someone using his credentials or identity. Or the surveillance is wrong — the person looks like Pemberton but isn't him. She paused: Either way, Martha is coordinating with someone who knows the conspiracy from the inside. Someone who had access to Voss file, who knows the full scope of what Pemberton revealed. Leah read the message. If it wasn't Pemberton himself but someone using his identity or knowledge, that suggested an even deeper problem. Someone who had access to Pemberton's cooperation materials. Or someone who had been in the inner circle before Pemberton turned — who had seen what he provided, who knew what he was revealing. Who could that be? Her phone buzzed. A text from Margaret. Emergency. Okafor just confirmed — Pemberton's cooperation materials were compromised. Someone accessed his digital files yesterday. Copies of witness statements, evidence summaries, grand jury timeline — all copied. She looked at Leah. "Pemberton didn't leak this. Someone accessed his system through backdoor. Okafor is investigating whether this was Hunt family or Martha's people." She paused: "If they have our witness list and grand jury timeline, Martha knows exactly who to target. She knows when the testimony is scheduled. She knows what evidence each witness will provide." Leah's throat tightened. Martha now had complete intelligence on the criminal case against her. Witness list. Evidence. Timeline. And she was at her Hamptons estate with someone who knew the conspiracy from the inside, coordinating burn phone calls, planning escalation against witnesses. This was endgame. Martha wasn't trying to win anymore. She was trying to destroy. 12:00 PM. Margaret Chen's office. Margaret received another call. She hung up, her expression grim. "Okafor just escalated," she said. "He's moving the grand jury testimony up. From Wednesday to tomorrow. He's getting all witnesses to testify before Martha can execute whatever plan she's preparing." She looked at Leah. "All five witnesses testifying tomorrow. Catherine, finance employee, two Mount Sinai witnesses, and the legal department employee who finally agreed after the latest threats became too aggressive." Leah's next question: Can they get there in time? "Federal marshals are transporting them now," Margaret said. "Secret location. Secret hearing. We're keeping the time and location confidential until the last moment." She paused: "But if Martha's intelligence is good — if she knows the witnesses are being moved — she could attempt an intercept on the transport route." Leah read between the lines. Martha had the witness list from Pemberton's compromised files. She knew they were testifying tomorrow. If she knew the transport route, she could ambush the convoy. "Okafor is using decoy routes," Margaret said. "Multiple transports from different locations. Only the marshals know which convoy is real." She paused: "But this is risky. Martha is desperate. She has nothing left to lose. If she attacks a federal marshal convoy, that's open war." Leah's throat tightened. Martha was moving from criminal conspiracy to open attacks on law enforcement. Ambush a federal marshal convoy — that was federal crime of the highest order.