Four days later, Gertrude let herself into my room without knocking and set a thick envelope on my desk.

“There’s twenty thousand dollars in there,” she said, with a tight smile.

I left my hands where they were.

“What is it for?”

“When Garrett’s lawyer comes, or any of the executives, you tell me right away,” she said, smooth as anything.

“And if you happen to overhear something sensitive, you bring it to me.”

I slid the envelope back across the desk toward her.

“I’m paid very well to care for your brother-in-law, Mrs.