Michael frowned.
“A lot of people.”
“Did anyone know you were considering using the condo?”
“One person.”
“Who?”
“My colleague, Aaron.”
I knew Aaron Patel. He and Michael had joined the same company within months of each other. Over the years, Aaron became the sort of friend adults often have—important, familiar, but seen mostly around holidays and occasional dinners.
“Why would Aaron have anything to do with this?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did he have access to your old email?”
“No.”
Michael paused.
“Not directly.”
“What does that mean?”
“He helped me set up the consulting business.”
Michael seemed to hear how it sounded.
“No. Aaron would never—”
“Don’t do that.”
“What?”
“Don’t decide what someone would or wouldn’t do before we know anything.”
He looked chastened.
“You’re right.”
That sentence might have been the first genuinely productive thing either of us had said all morning. Michael called Aaron. Aaron answered on the fourth ring.
