Page 69 of The Session

“I overheard them saying he and his father had had a conversation. And Kevin was going to come back, with the goal of taking on more responsibilities. Which would have been great. He had a very good heart. And ever since he . . .”—she paused, then continued—“got more focused, he was on the right track.”

Mark suspected that Kevin’s drug use was well known but never discussed openly among Summit staff. But this was the first he’d heard that Kevin would have come back to Summit. Tru seemed unaware of that. He would have to ask her whether it was accurate.

Of course, it was possible this was a secret even she didn’t know about.

The door opened, and Nichols, the head of security, walked in.

“Mr. Greenley, I saw that you badged in, but I wasn’t sure where you were.”

“I thought I’d take a tour and get to know more of the people who work here,” Mark replied.

“Well, you couldn’t have picked two nicer people to get to know. Anthony and Fiona have been with us a long time,” Nichols said. “Fiona, how’s Alberto?”

“He’s doing great, Mr. Nichols. He met a girl at school. We’ll see if this one lasts, but I couldn’t be happier,” Fiona replied.

“Wonderful,” Nichols said. “Do you mind if I borrow Mr. Greenley? He’s got an appointment.”

“It was a pleasure to meet y’all,” Mark said.

He couldn’t tell whether Nichols had shown up to interrupt the conversation because somebody told him Mark was there or whether he was genuinely trying to track him down. Nichols’s warm words with Anthony and Fiona were disarming and felt sincere. But that was the trick of Summit: feigned sincerity covered the hidden motive.

Mark followed Nichols down the corridor to the elevator.

“I didn’t think my meeting was for another hour or so,” Mark said.

“This one just got added to your calendar.”

Nichols pressed the button, and the elevator doors opened. Mark entered, and Nichols reached in with his own card and touched the sensor but didn’t press any other buttons or step inside.

“This will take you right up,” Nichols explained.

“Up where?” Mark asked.

Nichols didn’t respond, and the elevator doors closed between them.

Interview

When the elevator doors opened, Mark found himself on a floor he had never been to before. At the far end was a two-story glass window stretching the length of the level, offering an expansive view of the sky. A solitary figure stood with their back to him, silhouetted by the orange glow of the rising sun.

The figure turned, and Mark saw a woman around his mother’s age and clearly benefiting from plastic surgery and filler.

“Hello, Mark. It’s nice to meet you,” the woman greeted him. She gestured to a set of leather couches. “Let’s have a chat.”

Mark stepped closer and got a better look. She was Marnie Lightman, his father’s wife.

“I assume you know who I am,” Marnie began.

Mark noted she seemed neither warm nor cold—only professional.

While he still had only a hazy picture of what had happened between his mother and Max Lightman, he knew that Marnie Lightman was part of the reason his mother had been pushed out. He had no idea how he was supposed to process any of it, or how he was supposed to think about her.

“So what do you think of our little operation so far?” Marnie asked.

“I still don’t know what to think,” Mark admitted.

“It’s a lot. The past several days must have been overwhelming. Hopefully Tru has been able to give you some good advice.”

“She’s been great,” Mark said.