Seeing he had everyone’s total attention, he said, “Because right before the Christmas tree lighting, I had to go back inside to grab Susan’s gloves. As I was leaving my cottage, I noticed him walking down the hall that led straight to Chance’s room. I watched him for a while and became suspicious when I noticed he had his phone out, and he seemed to be reading something. I knew Chance wasn’t in his cottage, since I had left him in the courtyard, so what was he doing? I had to check it out.”
“How?” Donovan asked.
“I called out to him, making light of the fact that I found him nowhere near his own room. I told him he was going the wrong way. He seemed to quickly grab onto that excuse—too quickly -and said that he must have taken the wrong elevator.”
“To the north wing?” Morgan asked. “That’s BS. You don’t take the wrong elevator there unless you’re really a nitwit.”
“Especially when you have to take two different elevators,” Quade said.
“Precisely,” Sebastian agreed. “I could tell he was nervous about me finding him in an area he clearly didn’t belong, so I got him talking about something, so he wouldn’t think I suspected him of anything.”
“Good,” York said. He then looked at Morgan. “Is the Steele Corporation working on something top secret now?”
Morgan nodded. “We were recently awarded a government contract to produce a certain type of military tire, but we don’t consider it top secret.”
“However,” Donovan added, “Although it’s not a new development, there’s a reason we were awarded that government contract. A few years ago, the Steele Corporation created a special type of rubber that has made our tires long-lasting and incredibly durable. The government wants us to produce enough tires that they can replace those currently on military vehicles.”
York rubbed his chin in thought. “Your possible motive is definitely different than the one Quade and I had been tossing around.”
“Which is?” Sebastian asked.
“That Palmer’s interest in Tiffany is due to her getting her trust fund in a few years. Otherwise, why would he ask her to marry him?” York said. Glancing over at Quade, he asked, “What do you think?”
“Either is possible. Hell, both are plausible. So let’s not narrow things down to any one possibility until we start hearing back from our contacts. Then we’ll know for certain what we’re up against. I got Palmer’s DNA off today, and hope to have something back in a couple of days.”
York nodded. “I don’t like the thought of him having his phone out when he was approaching Chance’s door.”
“Why?” Morgan asked curiously.
“All the doors here are digitally coded. There’s a security software that allows you to unlock a hotel room door with a coded signal sent through your phone. That’s how I got into Palmer’s room the other night.”
“But the authorization for its use is limited to government law enforcement agencies,” Quade said.
“You think he has access to that same software?” Donovan asked.
“If he does, I’d like to know how he got it and who he is working with,” Quade replied.
York released a deep breath. “Tomorrow is Christmas. Let’s enjoy the day with our families, but keep a close eye on Palmer. If he suddenly disappears, sound the alarm. If he failed to get into Chance’s cottage last night because of Bas, he might try again.”
“In the meantime,” Quade said, “I intend to find out from Seth Bohannon what kind of security software the lodge uses, then I’ll look into which private security companies have access to it, legally or otherwise. Of course, there’s a possibility it was sold on the black market.”
York stood. “Okay, guys. It’s almost midnight. Let’s get back to our wives before they suspect something.”
CHAPTER 25
“Merry Christmas!”
The place was a madhouse, but Tiffany loved it. All the kids were scurrying about, determined to find their gifts from Santa under the huge Christmas tree, and it was all Tiffany could do not to get run over. Still, it was fun to watch them. Seeing the surprise on their faces at all the gifts, which quickly turned into happiness when the holiday presents were opened, was so rewarding. It made all the hours that she and the other ladies had spent wrapping those gifts the night before more than worth it.
Seth’s twin sisters, Amara and Amaya, were dressed as Santa’s helpers to help out while breakfast was served. It was hard to calm the kids down to eat, but the two young women, who appeared to be in their early twenties, did an awesome job. The committee had asked if Seth’s sisters could join them for Christmas breakfast, so the kids would know who they were. That would make it easier on everyone, since Amara and Amaya would be keeping the kids occupied on New Year’s Eve, while the adults partied in another part of the lodge.
To Tiffany’s surprise, Gary seemed to be enjoying himself, and more than once she swore that she saw a look of wonderment in his eyes. It was as if he wasn’t used to seeing so much joy and happiness. That made her wonder how his Christmases as a child had been. Even when it was just her and her mom, her mother, grandparents, and godmother had always made Christmas special for her. And now that they were a partof the Steele family, every Christmas was even more meaningful.
After breakfast, the cleanup committee, of which she was a part, collected the used gift wrap. To her surprise, Gary also pitched in to help. For lunch, the management served grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, accompanied by a variety of delicious sides. Once fed, some of the younger kids wanted to play outside in the snow, while the older ones preferred to stay indoors to play with their new video games.
A kids’ Christmas movie would be playing in the theater room at three, with several popcorn machines lined up. With the Bohannon twins helping out with the kids, the adults were able to exchange their own gifts. Tiffany thanked her parents for the very generous gift card to her favorite store. They had also given Gary a gift, and he seemed genuinely surprised and thankful for the designer cufflinks. She and Marcus exchanged gifts, and as usual, her brother gave her a bottle of her favorite perfume, and she gave him a bottle of his favorite wine.
She had also given her uncles bottles of their favorite alcoholic beverage, and their wives gift cards to their favorite stores. Her grandparents surprised her with an Apple Watch. Gary gave her a beautiful tennis bracelet, and she had given him a specialized golf club and ball since his number one hobby was golfing.
