“You should tell them where you looked and where you didn’t,” I answered.

“Don’t protect anyone with a lie.”

He gave a small, weary laugh.

“Sounds like something Dad used to say.”

Brandon’s father had tried to keep the family company honest.

The letter Wayne found was not proof of every allegation, but it gave investigators a path to examine old invoices and board reports.

That mattered more than any dramatic family speech.

For the first time, I understood that protecting my own independence and protecting innocent workers were not competing goals.