Chapter 39 — Spies, Secrets, and Loyalties
Pearson Hardman — Jessica Pearson's Office
8:45 a.m. — Wednesday
The city was still waking up under the light spring mist. Inside the Pearson Hardman building, the upper floors were already buzzing with energy. The roar of printers, hurried footsteps, and the steady click of keyboards seemed to orchestrate the beginning of another day but for Logan Moore, this would be no ordinary day.
Jessica called him into her office for a confidential conversation. As soon as he entered, she pointed to the chair in front of her glass desk.
"Logan, I have something… big," she said bluntly, her eyes intense.
He sat down, adjusting his dark gray suit jacket with precision. Always impeccable.
"I'm listening."
Jessica slid a black folder across the desk. The Department of Justice crest on the cover spoke volumes. Logan opened it carefully. Inside was a file marked Confidential. Photographs, financial reports, and a boldfaced name:
Nicholas Kane - CEO of CyNova Technologies.
"CyNova..." Logan murmured, recognizing the name. "Government infrastructure hardware suppliers. Some classified contracts..."
Jessica nodded.
"Mr. Kane was arrested yesterday on charges of espionage and treason. The NSA intercepted communications between him and foreign agents. The FBI alleges he sold sensitive information about the technology he was developing to the Pentagon."
Logan took a deep breath, flipping through the pages.
"Do they have anything solid?"
"We don't know yet. There are leads, yes. But you know how these investigations go. Lots of missing pieces. They're trying to pressure Kane into accepting a plea deal, but he insists he's innocent. He hired Pearson Hardman—and I want you to lead this."
Logan set the folder on his lap, eyes fixed on the back of the room for a few seconds.
"This could be federal." And if they confirm the intent, he could be tried under Section 794 of Title 18. That's the death penalty.
Jessica nodded, tense.
"I know. That's why I need you. You know the process, the terms, the risks. No one here understands the legal and strategic impact of a national security case like you do."
Logan looked up at her.
"I'll take it."
Jessica smiled, but there was more.
"Do you want help?"
Logan thought for a moment. He was used to working alone. But here, in this new world, part of leadership also meant knowing how to share responsibility.
"If there's someone willing to help and listen… I'll take it. If not, I'll go it alone. I'm not one to complain."
Jessica stood up.
"Great. I'll be right back."
Five minutes later - Logan's office
Jessica walked in accompanied by Rachel Zane, who kept a determined expression despite the anxiety visible in her shoulders. She was holding a notepad and pen. She was wearing a gray dress and discreet glasses.
"Logan, you know Rachel. She's studying law and working with us. I think this will be a unique opportunity for her to see how an espionage case is built."
Logan stood up, extending his hand.
"Of course I do. And I'm glad to have you on this case, Rachel."
"It's my pleasure, Dr. Moore. I promise to be helpful."
Jessica said goodbye, leaving the two of them. The office was silent for a second. Logan looked at Rachel softly.
"Call me Logan. Let's get started."
10:15 AM — Conference Room, 47th Floor
Light streamed in through the large windows, illuminating the table where Logan and Rachel sat across from each other. Several folders were organized: one with CyNova contracts, another with intercepted emails, and a third with financial data.
Rachel was typing quickly on her laptop.
— The company had a sudden increase in capital from accounts in the Cayman Islands last year — he said.
— We need to see if the DOJ can connect this money to the foreign country involved. They suspect China, but they don't have any proof yet.
— And if they can't?
— Then it all becomes a matter of narrative. And in that… we can win.
Rachel looked at him, amazed.
— Have you always been like this? So… calm?
Logan smiled with his eyes.
— In the DOD, if you lose your temper, someone dies. Here, if you lose your temper… well, maybe you just lose the client.
2:00 PM — Manhattan Federal Prison
Logan and Rachel walked through the halls of the detention center, where they were greeted by armed officers. They passed locked doors, detectors and cameras, until they reached the interview room with the client.
Nicholas Kane was sitting, handcuffed at the waist, wearing the traditional orange jumpsuit. He looked haggard, but his eyes still held arrogance.
"So you're the former government agent who came to save me," Kane said with a cynical smile.
Logan sat down calmly.
"I didn't come to save anyone. I came to understand what happened. If you're innocent, we'll prove it. If you're guilty… well, I can try to keep you from dying."
Kane swallowed. Rachel stood silent, attentive.
— I didn't sell anything. I never gave information to any foreign government. They're accusing me because my company grew too fast. And because I clashed with the Pentagon's security director.
— Do you have proof?
— Just the word of employees who know my integrity. And maybe… some emails that disappeared from the servers.
Logan leaned forward.
— They're gone… or did you delete them?
Kane hesitated.
— Gone.
Logan leaned back in his chair, eyes alert.
— We're going to need to recover those emails. If you're telling the truth, I can get you out of this. But if you're lying… don't expect me to stay here.
6:30 p.m. — Logan's Office
Back in the building, Rachel was tired but excited. Logan was organizing his notes and typing reports quickly.
— Do you think he's innocent?
— I don't know yet. But he's scared. Guilty men are rarely scared they prepare. He doesn't seem prepared for any of this.
Rachel sat down on the couch in her office.
"Have you ever dealt with cases like this before?"
Logan looked up from his laptop at her.
"I've helped track down real spies. Men and women with blood on their hands. Mr. Kane…he looks more like an arrogant executive who stepped on the wrong foot."
"So this could be a political case?"
"It could be. And that makes it all the more difficult."
Rachel thought for a moment.
"I didn't know law could be so…dangerous."
"Law is always dangerous, Rachel. It just depends on how much people are willing to hide."
She smiled, slightly nervous.
"I want to learn all of this."
"And you will. But slowly. One step at a time."
10:45 p.m. - Logan's Apartment
Alone in his apartment, Logan reviewed the case reports again. He turned on the encrypted laptop he had brought from his DOD days he still used it to organize his thoughts and files securely. He typed:
"CY-NOVA CASE—Preliminary Hypotheses"
Kane is innocent. He is being used as a scapegoat in an internal contract dispute at the Pentagon.
Kane is guilty. He sold technology to commercial intermediaries linked to China perhaps unaware that they were associated with intelligence agencies.
Kane is a spy. A conscious one, infiltrated in the private sector, operating for years under a corporate facade.
Logan took a deep breath. He closed the laptop and looked out the window. The city slept under the starry sky. But he knew that behind the illuminated windows and glass skyscrapers, many secrets were hidden. Secrets that were now in his hands.
Chapter 40 – Every Piece Dismantled
Pearson Hardman — Conference Room 12A
Next Day — 7:28 AM
Rachel arrived with a coffee in her hand and her laptop clutched to her chest. The sun had barely risen, and it was already light in Logan Moore's office. It was as if he had spent the night there. When she entered, she found him standing with his back turned, hands in the pockets of his dress pants, staring out the window at the gray Manhattan sky.
"Good morning," she said, trying not to interrupt too much.
Logan turned serenely.
"Good morning, Rachel. Did you sleep well?"
She smiled.
"Much better than you, I imagine. How long have you been here?"
He glanced at his watch, unhurriedly.
"Since four-fifteen."
"Oh my God…"
"I had an idea during the early hours of the morning. I needed to confirm some connections before the federal servers got congested."
Rachel opened her laptop and sat down in the chair across from him. There was a whiteboard on the side wall, with diagrams, arrows, and acronyms scrawled in blue, red, and black. It was a detailed timeline of the Kane case. Everything they had.
"Where do you want to start today?" she asked.
"With the financial evidence the DOJ thinks is the trump card."
Logan walked over to the board and pointed to a date: November 3, 2009.
"That's the day the DOJ claims Kane received a $2.4 million payment into an offshore account as compensation for turning over documents."
Rachel pulled up the data.
"They have the bank records," she said. "The account was opened by a shell company in Belize called SINOA Holdings."
"That's right," Logan confirmed. "But last night I went further. I ran a search of FinCEN's internal records, where I have access with credentials that are still valid." I discovered that the SINOA account also made a deposit of $2.4 million to an Israeli defense contractor two days later.
Rachel looked up in surprise.
"That changes everything…"
"Exactly. If Kane had received the amount as payment, why would he pass the money on? This is starting to look a lot more like an international corporate deal than espionage. And if we can prove that… we can dismantle the betrayal narrative."
Rachel took frantic notes. Finally, she looked at Logan with silent admiration.
"You make it sound easy…"
Logan smiled modestly.
"It's not. It just takes discipline, method… and a little insomnia."
11:15 AM — Mike Ross's Office
Mike had his head buried in documents from another case when he heard a soft knock on the door. Rachel appeared with the glow of someone who had just seen magic live.
"Do I have two minutes?" she asked.
"Always. Come in."
She sat down across from him, exuding enthusiasm.
"Mike… working with Logan has been… surreal. The way he thinks… how he sees the structure of the case. He doesn't just understand the law. He understands the logic behind criminal investigation like no one I've ever seen."
Mike laughed, leaning back in his chair.
"I've been hearing a lot about him around here. And it's hard for anyone to steal the spotlight from Donna, Harvey, or Jessica."
"I'm learning more in two days with him than I would in a whole semester of classes. And he listens to you, explains to you… He doesn't talk like he's a teacher. He talks like he's… putting together a puzzle with you."
Mike smiled sincerely.
"It sounds like you've found a real mentor."
"I think so."
2:40 p.m. — Firm meeting room
Logan was with Rachel, Jessica, and Louis Litt, presenting the first formal breakdown of the prosecution. On a projected screen, Logan showed the financial paths and suspicious movements between companies that were not part of the DOJ report.
"If Kane was a spy, why would CyNova also transfer similar technology to NATO companies with transparency clauses?" Logan asked. "And why is the same company that claims to have received bribes from him involved in litigation with SINOA since 2010?"
Louis cleared his throat.
"Are you suggesting this is a setup?"
Logan was firm.
"I'm suggesting the DOJ has built a case based on assumptions. And we're dismantling every single one of them."
Jessica was pleased. Rachel, next to her, was watching everything with a watchful eye.
"What about the intercepted communications?" Louis asked.
"They're generic emails, with no direct reference to sensitive content. The words 'partner,' 'transfer,' 'integration' are common in technical negotiations. The context, in this case, was ignored."
Jessica crossed her arms.
"This is going to give them a federal headache."
"It already is," Logan said.
5:45 p.m. — Logan's Office
Rachel sat, more at ease now, with her shoes beside her and a cup of tea. Logan was reading a printed file, underlining with military precision. The air was calm, almost intimate.
"Logan?"
"Yes?"
"Do you miss it?"
He looked up.
"The DOD?"
She nodded.
He thought for a moment before answering.
"I miss the purpose. But not from the weight. In the DOD, every decision had an invisible price. Here, the battles are different. But sometimes, less... destructive.
"Do you think you can do more good here?"
"Sometimes. But I've learned that good... is relative to the system you serve. Now, I serve justice in a different way."
Rachel was silent. Then she whispered,
"Thank you for letting me learn from you."
Logan smiled.
"I learn from you too, Rachel."
7:30 PM - Jessica's Office
Jessica was on the phone, watching out the window. When she hung up, Donna appeared with a smile.
"I saw you coming out of the conference room today... with that 'we've got it' look on your face."
Jessica smiled, leaning back.
"Logan Moore is doing exactly what I expected. He doesn't just understand the law. He anticipates it. He breathes strategy."
Donna crossed her arms.
— And Rachel?
— She's blossoming. Finally someone she can look up to without feeling inferior. That's going to take her far.
— And you?
Jessica looked out at the city.
— I'm starting to think Logan is the best strategic decision I've ever made at this firm.
11:45 p.m. — Logan's Apartment
Logan sat down at his computer. He updated the report file.
STATUS — Nicholas Kane Case
Financial evidence dismantled.
Email evidence contextualized and weakened.
Defense character witnesses being prepared.
Request for access to FBI servers pending.
Progress: 61%
He saved, closed his laptop, and looked at the small frame on his bookshelf. It was an old photo of him and his parents. After so many years... now everything seemed to be moving toward a new purpose.
And he was ready.
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