CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY FOUR - Fractured Trust

"There are no suspicious offshore accounts," Mason said, struggling to keep his frustration in check. "And you can't just set up shop in our conference room and start interrogating employees." Richard waved a dismissive hand. "Details, details. The truth will come out, Mason. I'm merely facilitating the process." Before Mason could respond, his phone buzzed. It was a text from Claire: "Turn on the news. Now." With a sense of dread, Mason grabbed the remote and switched on the conference room's wall-mounted TV. The screen flickered to life, showing a live press conference. To his horror, Richard was at the podium, gesticulating wildly as he addressed a sea of reporters. "How is this possible?" Mason muttered, glancing between the Richard on TV and the one standing before him. "When was this recorded?" The Richard in the room chuckled. "Oh, that's happening right now. I set up a holographic projection system. Clever, isn't it? The wonders of alien technology!" On screen, Hologram R