Moments later, she heard the voice again.
‘I don’t know where she is!’
She moved again, steady, slowly, and inhaled sharply, catching a glimpse of Dean Morgan with his phone to his ear.
‘Dunno. Shit!’
There was a tinny sound. The Coke can against the concrete? Had he found the tracker?
‘That bitch hid the—’
A pause.
‘Someone’s coming. I gotta go.’
Meg heard footsteps.
‘What the hell areyoudoing here?’ Dean said. She could see him now, through the gap, looking towards the newcomer, who was frustratingly out of sight. Was it Pete?
Dean walked towards whoever he was speaking to. She strained her neck and got a glimpse of Georgie. What the hellwasshe doing here? Meg had confided in her the night before, sharing her plan to bring the Ashworths down, and Georgie had warned her against it, but Meg didn’t think for a second she’d follow her here. What was she thinking?
‘Where’s Meg?’ Dean said.
Meg pulled her phone out and started filming, a tiny sliver of vision.
‘You tell me,’ Georgie answered. Her tone was sassy, but there was a subtle tremor in her voice.
He lunged towards her, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her in front of him so he had her in a lock, his forearm across her throat.
‘Where the hell is she?’ he said, again. ‘She must be here somewhere.’
‘I don’t know,’ Georgie whimpered.
He pulled his arm tighter. She let out a loud sob as he walked her back towards the building, out of Meg’s line of sight. Then there was the clunk of the door.
Meg held her breath. A moment later, the door opened and Dean came out alone.
He put his phone up to his ear. ‘It wasn’t her. … Georgie Baxter. … I don’t know! I locked her in a cupboard! … I didn’t sign up for this shit, Hugh. I’m out.’
He pushed his phone into his pocket and ran.
Chapter 56
‘Two weeks in Aspen, then a week in the Caribbean on the yacht. We keep it moored in Turks and Caicos,’ Heather was saying, when Issy tapped her on the shoulder. ‘One moment.’
‘I need a word,’ Issy said.
Heather glanced around at the stage, the crowd. ‘Now?’
‘Yes. Now.’
‘I hardly think this is the time or place, Isobel.’ Her voice was a discreet murmur.
‘It can’t wait.’
‘I assume this has to do with the conversation you had with your father, about—’ She huffed, shaking her head, and glanced in the direction of the women she’d been talking to, who were suspiciously silent. She took Issy’s arm a little too firmly and steered her to a quiet spot a safe distance away.
‘You have a nerve, ambushing your father with unspeakable, unfounded accusations.’
