“He still has a large amount of money owing to some of the companies.”
“They gave you that information over the phone?”
Heat rushed to her face. “I told them I worked for Congressman Welsh.”
“One of these days you’re going to get caught.”
“I can’t find the information I need without stretching the truth.” Ashley’s cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her bag and frowned. “I’ll just answer this call.”
Matthew turned to mash the potatoes.
“Hi, Bonnie.” There was silence while she listened to her friend. “Okay, but you have to promise me you won’t visit anyone else. Let me know if staying with Harry doesn’t work. We’ll figure something out.” After a few more minutes of silence, Ashley said goodbye and left her phone on the table.
He didn’t know what was going on, but he was done with pretending to be interested in the potatoes. “What happened?”
“My friend Bonnie found a letter that someone slipped under her front door. It warned her to stay away from Jasmine. Bonnie’s staying with Harry. His apartment building has more security than hers. If this is happening now, what’s it going to be like after I’ve published the story?”
“If you’re back in the city, it will be a lot worse.”
Ashley took the colander out of the cupboard and drained the vegetables. “I’ll call Jason tomorrow morning. It’s time to contact the police. We need to see Congressman Welsh’s bank details. If we have proof that he transferred some of the government funding into his personal accounts, I’ll be able to publish the story.”
“Have you called your editor?”
“I did that this morning. He wants to send my story to the newspaper’s legal team before it’s published.”
“I’d make sure you finish the story soon, then. If someone already knows about Bonnie, they’ll find Harry next. It’s only a matter of time before they trace you back to Montana.”
Ashley took a deep breath. “I know, and that’s what worries me.”
Matthew tapped the end of her nose. “You’re not the only one who’s worried. Next time you go into town, I’m coming with you.”
“Okay,” she sighed. “I’ll tell Sean and Nathan what’s happened, too. I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”
“It’s too late. You’ve already found information that no one wants you to see. As soon as your story is published, someone will be hurt whether you want that to happen or not.”
Ashley started to say something, then stopped. Her big blue eyes became guarded, and she retreated to wherever she went when she didn’t want to face what was happening.
He took some plates out of the pantry. Depending on how long it took to authorize the search warrants, everyone would have to be careful over the next few weeks.
