Chapter 3 - The Gardener Was Chosen
Mateo hit the hallway at a run.
"Thomas!"
The stairwell was empty.
He reached the ground floor and nearly collided with a uniformed officer coming through the foyer.
"Where did he go?"
"Who?"
"Thomas Mercer."
The officer pointed toward the library.
Mateo shoved through the double doors.
Thomas stood at the bar pouring water into a glass.
"Looking for me?"
Mateo stopped six feet away.
Daniel entered behind him.
"You disappeared."
Thomas drank slowly. "I wanted water. Is that illegal now?"
Mateo took out his phone before remembering police still had the original.
Thomas smiled at the reflex.
"You think I photographed you?"
"Did you?"
"No."
"Did you know who I was before I worked here?"
Thomas's smile faded.
"You're a gardener."
Daniel moved between them.
"Enough."
"No," Mateo said. "Somebody had my picture six months ago. I want to know why."
Ortiz entered carrying a laptop from the estate office.
"Then let's find out."
She set it on the desk.
The hiring file took less than a minute to pull.
Mateo remembered applying through a landscaping staffing agency. He had interviewed once with Harold Vance, then received the job the next morning.
The file showed something else.
REFERRED — PRIORITY PLACEMENT.
Daniel leaned toward the screen.
"Referred by who?"
Ortiz clicked the attached PDF.
Mercer Strategic Consulting.
Thomas's division.
Thomas lowered his glass.
"That means nothing. Human resources uses my department's vendor accounts all the time."
Ortiz scrolled.
The authorization line contained an executive code.
T.M.-04.
Daniel looked at his brother.
Thomas shook his head. "Someone used my office code."
Mateo gave a short laugh.
"Everybody keeps using your things tonight."
Thomas stepped toward him.
"Watch yourself."
"Or what?"
Daniel shoved an arm between them.
"Stop. Both of you."
Ortiz scrolled farther down.
A background note appeared beneath Mateo's name.
FATHER: LUIS ARTURO REYES.
Daniel's hand slipped off the desk.
Mateo saw it.
The reaction lasted less than a second, but it was enough.
"You know that name."
Daniel straightened. "I know a lot of names."
"You know his."
Thomas turned toward the window.
Mateo stepped around Daniel.
"My father died before I was born. My mother said it was a construction accident."
Daniel said nothing.
Mateo grabbed his forearm.
Daniel looked down at the hand, then back at him.
"Let go."
"Tell me."
Ortiz moved closer but did not interfere.
Mateo's grip tightened.
"You reacted before she even finished reading it."
Daniel's breathing slowed.
"Your father worked for us."
Mateo released him.
The room seemed to shrink.
"Where?"
Daniel looked at Thomas.
Thomas stared out the window.
"Riverside Tower," Daniel said.
Mateo had heard the name his whole life.
The Mercer Riverside project had made Daniel's company famous.
A forty-story glass tower built when Mateo's parents were barely adults.
"What happened to him?"
Daniel's mouth tightened.
"He fell."
"I know that."
"Then what are you asking?"
Mateo stepped close enough that Daniel could see the pulse beating in his neck.
"I'm asking why your company had my picture before I ever applied for this job."
Daniel didn't answer.
Mateo's voice dropped.
May you like
"What did your family do to my father?"
