external audit
An external audit is a sleuth’s game played with pen and magnifying glass, peering at internal misdeeds from outside the box. Open a mouth and you’ll whisper, “Evidence might be hiding on the margins,” furrow a brow and you’ll unearth family secrets. They lurk quietly until the deadline, then unleash a mountain of paperwork. A company’s sins are always fated to be exposed under the harsh light of this paper trail.