She had no idea whether talking to Hazel would lead to more stories or a dead-end, but either way, they were about to find out.
***
Hazel Lewis was a bubbly, twenty-something woman. Her dark brown hair swung forward as she nodded at something Bonnie said.
For the last ten minutes, she’d been telling them about working for the Foundation.
Regardless of how Hazel felt about her job, Ashley still couldn’t understand why she’d decided to work for Jasmine Alfredo. With Congressman Welsh being on the board and a senior project leader, Hazel must have seen him or even worked with him.
“Did you enjoy working with Congressman Welsh as much as you do with the Foundation?”
Hazel hesitated before replying. “At times, working for the congressman was extremely interesting. But when we had back-to-back meetings or social engagements, it could get tedious.”
Bonnie sipped her latte. “I imagine there would have been lots of social engagements when Congressman Welsh was running for mayor.”
“There were.” Hazel took a deep breath and looked at Ashley. “What you said in your article about him didn’t surprise me. He always seemed to live bigger and better than the next person. His salary as a congressman wouldn’t have allowed him to do half the things he did. I always thought his wife must have had lots of money.”
“Why do you say that?” Ashley asked.
“She always seemed so self-assured. Money was never an issue. While the mayoral campaign was running, they hired stylists and PR consultants to help them. They had a team who monitored everything they did, right down to the food they ate at the gala dinners and functions they attended.”
Bonnie frowned. “Why would they worry about what they ate?”
“Food is big business here. Some of Congressman Welsh’s biggest supporters were in the restaurant and hospitality industries. He didn’t want anyone thinking he favored one caterer, restaurant, or chef over another.”
Ashley glanced at the clock on the wall. Hazel would need to return to work soon and they hadn’t covered half of what she needed to know. “Why did you resign from your role with Congressman Welsh?”
Hazel looked at her hands. “I saw him…he was in his office…with another woman. He must have thought everyone had gone home. At first he was embarrassed and apologetic, but then he became angry. He made it impossible for me to work with him. I was already working long hours and I didn’t need more stress, so I left.”
Bonnie tilted her head to the side. “Who was he with?”
Hazel bit her bottom lip. “I promised I wouldn’t say anything.”
“You don’t owe Congressman Welsh anything. He defrauded The Reaching High Foundation of hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Hazel picked up her bag. “I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you.”
Ashley’s eyes narrowed. If Hazel wasn’t protecting Congressman Welsh, it had to be someone else that had the power to make her life better or worse.
“Was it Jasmine Alfredo?”
Panic replaced the worried look on Hazel’s face. “No. It wasn’t her.”
Ashley blocked Hazel’s exit from their table. “It wasn’t your fault. Why are you protecting her?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Hazel whispered. “Jasmine hasn’t done anything wrong.”
After listening to Jasmine’s heartfelt words in Bozeman, Ashley wasn’t so sure. “Did you know that Jasmine came to Bozeman to see me? She swore she knew nothing about what had happened until she hired a private investigator to look into Congressman Welsh’s life. I wrote a story about what an amazing woman she is and how her work had been sabotaged. I believed her when she said her charities meant everything to her.”
“They do. It’s just…”
“Just what?” Bonnie asked.
Hazel’s hands gripped the strap of her bag. She looked around the café and sat down. “Jasmine called me the day after I resigned from Congressman Welsh’s team. She told me she had a vacancy at the Foundation. The job wouldn’t directly report to her, but it was a senior position with a much higher salary than what I had been paid.”
“You didn’t think she was bribing you to keep quiet?” Bonnie asked.
“I did at first, but she told me she wasn’t. She said that what I’d seen shouldn’t have happened and it wouldn’t happen again.”
