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hadn’t officially accepted the case. She couldn’t risk saying much more. But he wouldn’t commit to this case, no matter how great the opportunity, until they reached an agreement on compensation. Keep playing it cool , he told himself.
    “Listen, Ms. McKay…”
    “Jennifer.”
    “Fine. Jennifer. You don’t know me from Adam. I get that. But if you want me to help you, you’ll need to trust me.”
    “I understand. I’m sorry. It’s just—”
    “You don’t like private investigators?”
    “I don’t have to like them, Tyler.”
    “Mr. Cain.”
    Her face reddened at the rebuff.
    “Listen, Jennifer. I don’t have to be here at all. You called asking for help, and I’m only here because I owe someone a favor. But we can end this now, if you prefer.”
    “No.” She took a deep breath. “But please be advised that everything I tell you must remain confidential.”
    “Absolutely.”
    Jennifer gathered up the three letters, setting them in a neat pile before continuing. “Jeremy Santos, the plaintiff. He has the most to gain or lose. He received a very large award in punitive damages.”
    “For what?” Tyler preferred admitting ignorance in order to speed up the discovery process.
    “He lost both his brother and his mother during a transition.”
    “A double transition?”
    “No. It was his disabled brother’s transition. The mother tried to stop the procedure and fell. Very sad.”
    “A transition and an accident. Then why the large settlement?”
    “The boy scheduled the appointment while a minor.”
    “Oh. Let me guess. The mother hadn’t approved?”
    “That’s right. The bottom line is that Jeremy Santos will lose a large sum of money if NEXT wins on appeal.”
    “What about NEXT?”
    “They have even more to lose. And not just the settlement money. Losing this appeal could force them to institute far more stringent approval requirements for all transitions.”
    “Is that so bad?”
    “It could cut deeply into their business. The more hurdles volunteers face, the more likely they will change their mind. Even a twenty percent decline in transitions would mean nearly a billion-dollar hit per year.”
    “A billion? I had no idea,” Tyler confessed.
    “There is a lot of money at stake in this case. Especially when you consider the impact on President Lowman’s Youth Initiative.”
    “Such as?”
    “Fewer transitions mean higher senior-care costs and a drop in transition estate taxes,” she explained. “Not a good time for either.”
    “So the White House may be worried about this case?”
    “To be honest, Mr. Cain, you’re the first person I’ve met who isn’t concerned about this case.” She seemed to enjoy the jab. “As you can see, the implications are enormous. Sooner or later this case will impact the household budget of anyone caring for an aging or disabled loved one.”
    Tyler raised his finger pausing the conversation to steal a moment. He retrieved his tablet and pretended to type a few notes while absorbing the scope of the case.
    “I don’t suspect NEXT incorporated itself. They’re too big to risk open retaliation. But I suppose it could be some rogue individual within the company with something to lose. Maybe a person who slipped up on the Santos case who fears losing their job.”
    Tyler glanced at his empty page of notes before asking whether Jennifer could think of anyone else.
    “Who knows? There are religious nuts all over the place who would love nothing more than to see NEXT take a serious fall.”
    “Religious nuts?”
    “Sorry. I shouldn’t call them that. But you know what I mean. There are people who would love to see the transition industry come to a screeching halt.”
    “Do you think that might include murder?”
    “Murder?” Jennifer’s gaze fell to the letters. “Do you think Judge Santiago’s life is in danger?”
    “I don’t know what to think. I’m only exploring what you think, and what might be at stake.”
    Tyler found it