The CEO Above My Desk Chapter 201

***Agent Naomi Bennett***

I stared at Evelyn Hargrove across the metal table while trying to understand how somebody could say all of this so calmly.

“So you had Calder kill him.”

Richard Blanche closed his eyes briefly beside her.

Like even he wished she would stop talking.

Hargrove didn’t bother denying it. “I instructed Calder to handle it,” she corrected evenly.

The phrasing made my stomach turn. Handle it.

Like Drew Pierce had been some loose financial document instead of a human being.

“He was becoming a liability,” she continued calmly. “And liabilities spread panic.”

I leaned back slightly in the chair while watching her carefully. “No guilt?”

That finally made her pause. Not long. But enough. Then, “Would guilt bring him back?”

The answer chilled the room instantly. Not because it was emotional. Because it wasn’t. At all.

Locke finally spoke from behind me, voice sharp now. “He had a sister.”

Hargrove’s eyes flicked toward him briefly. “Yes.”

“She spent weeks believing she was losing her mind because your people manipulated evidence around her.”

Hargrove remained silent.

“She almost got framed for his murder.”

Another pause. Then finally, she said, “That wasn’t my original intention.”

I felt my jaw tighten immediately. “Your original intention?”

“Hoping she would stop asking questions.” The calmness in her voice was horrifying. “She became emotionally unstable after Drew’s death,” Hargrove continued. “Calder believed pressure would eventually force her away from Ashcroft Industries.” Another pause. “Instead she became more difficult.”

Difficult.

That was the word she used for a grieving woman whose brother had been murdered.

I rubbed slowly at my temple before looking back down at the file briefly.

The psychological disconnect sitting across from me was becoming exhausting.

“You destroyed lives because somebody threatened your control of the city.”

“I protected the city.” That answer came instantly.

I looked back up slowly. “No,” I said quietly. “You protected yourself.”

Hargrove’s expression hardened immediately.

“You think this city survives without people like me?” she asked coldly. “You think Seattle magically functions because good people care enough?” A bitter laugh escaped her softly. “Cities survive because somebody is willing to make ugly decisions.”

“By terrorizing civilians?”

“By maintaining order.”

I stared at her in disbelief. “Order?” I repeated. “You had women stalked. Phones tapped. Investigations manipulated.” I leaned forward slightly now. “You weaponized a violent detective against innocent people.”

Her jaw tightened. “Innocent people don’t survive in politics.”

The room went still again. Because somehow every answer made her sound worse. Not emotional. Not reckless. Intentional.

Every single thing she did had been justified in her own mind long before anyone died.

I folded my hands together tighter on the table. “So what happens now?” I asked quietly.

That seemed to catch her off guard slightly. “What?”

“You wanted control.” I gestured lightly toward the room around us. “You built an entire system around fear.” Another pause. “Now your officers are being investigated. Your political allies are turning on each other. The mayor’s office is imploding.” I held her gaze steadily. “Was it worth it?”

“I was supposed to win.” The quietness of that answer somehow made it worse.

Because she genuinely believed she would have.

If Rowan Ashcroft hadn’t fought back.

If Violet Pierce had walked away.

If Drew Pierce had stayed quiet.

She would have won.

I stared at Evelyn Hargrove across the metal table for another long moment before finally closing the federal case file in front of me.

The sound echoed sharply through the interrogation room.

“We’re done here.”

I pushed back from the table before standing fully while Locke immediately straightened near the wall behind me.

“Evelyn Hargrove,” I said evenly, “you are officially under arrest pending federal prosecution for conspiracy to obstruct justice, witness intimidation, abuse of public office, unlawful database access, corruption tied to city development contracts, conspiracy related to multiple homicide investigations, witness coercion, misuse of government resources, and conspiracy involving organized intimidation campaigns against civilians.”

Richard Blanche quietly rubbed one hand across his forehead beside her.

And we still weren’t finished investigating.

“You’ll be arraigned within the next two weeks,” I continued calmly. “Until then, I strongly advise you to work closely with your attorney and get your statements aligned before trial proceedings begin.”

“Agent Bennett.”

I paused.

Something about her tone changed. Not political. Personal.

Slowly, I looked back toward her.

Hargrove remained seated in the metal chair with her cuffed hands resting loosely against the table while Richard Blanche frowned slightly beside her like he already didn’t like wherever this conversation was about to go.

“You want to know something interesting?” she asked quietly.

Not even remotely.

But I stayed silent anyway.

Hargrove tilted her head slightly while watching me carefully now. “Do you know why Marcus Hale was assigned to this case originally?”

Every muscle in my body immediately tightened.

Behind me, Locke went still too.

Marcus... The FBI Special Agent who got called in personally by Rowan for help, but he had been sleeping with Avery on the side and was compromised...

I stared at her carefully. “What about him?”

Hargrove smiled faintly. And suddenly I hated it. “Avery wasn’t the only one getting close to someone.”

The room temperature dropped instantly.

Richard Blanche looked irritated now. Actually irritated. “Councilwoman—”

“No,” Hargrove interrupted calmly without taking her eyes off me. “I think Agent Bennett deserves to know how compromised this investigation actually became.”

Locke stepped forward slightly. “What are you implying?”

Hargrove finally looked toward him briefly.

“I’m implying,” she said quietly, “that Marcus Hale wasn’t removed from the case because he got emotionally attached to Avery.”

“That’s not possible,” Locke said immediately.

Hargrove’s smile widened slightly. “Marcus was on my payroll six months before this investigation even started.”

Silence. Absolute silence.

I think my brain genuinely stopped processing sound for a second.

Because no.

*No.*

Marcus was federal.

Careful.

Methodical.

Respected.

He helped build half the preliminary corruption files tied to city hall.

And suddenly every instinct I had started screaming at me.

Hargrove watched my expression carefully now. “He fed information back to Calder,” she continued softly. “Mostly small things at first.” Another pause. “Witness schedules. Internal movements. Investigation timelines.”

Jesus Christ.

Locke swore viciously under his breath beside the door.

I stared at Hargrove while something cold slowly crawled down my spine. Because suddenly Avery getting close to Marcus looked very different.

Not manipulation. Surveillance.

God.

Hargrove leaned back slightly in the chair again. “You should probably find him before he realizes I’m cooperating fully,” she said calmly. “Otherwise he may panic.”