Matthew stepped out of the way as a group of people headed toward the registration desk. The sooner he found his room, the faster he could contact Ashley.
He just hoped she hadn’t moved from the hotel.
***
Ashley opened a takeout container of crispy fried chicken and handed it to Bonnie. Harry had just arrived with dinner, and they were all exhausted. “No one’s talking about Congressman Welsh’s affair except Hazel. Someone else must have known what was going on.”
Harry sat on the chair in her room and sighed. “They’re closing ranks.”
“Unless it wasn’t true.” Bonnie poked one of her chopsticks through a piece of chicken.
Ashley opened a container of fried rice and tipped some into a bowl. “Why would Hazel lie?”
“She stopped working for Congressman Welsh. Maybe she didn’t resign.Maybeshe was fired.” Bonnie held her chopstick in the air. “If the affair did happen, Congressman Welsh’s wife wouldn’t want to be embarrassed, especially if she has political aspirations. Stephanie could be the person stopping everyone from talking.”
“Or it could be Jasmine,” Harry added. “She had an affair with a married man who was a senior board member, a criminal, and a congressman.”
Ashley looked at her two closest friends. Bonnie had gone with her to see Stephanie Welsh. A lot of good that had done. Stephanie didn’t want to see anyone, especially the reporter who had uncovered her husband’s illegal activities.
Harry had finished his contract work, then joined them in the late afternoon. They’d tracked down more employees from The Reaching High Foundation, but no one would speak to them.
“So what does that leave us with?” Ashley asked.
Bonnie opened a bottle of juice. “A congressman who has been arrested, a wife who’s keeping silent, and a socialite who’s charities are under investigation. Oh, and an affair we can’t verify.”
Ashley frowned. “Is that someone’s cell phone?”
“It’s mine,” Bonnie said as she reached for her bag. “I put it on vibrate.”
While Bonnie was talking on the phone, Ashley found her file on Jasmine. She’d already identified the times when Congressman Welsh and Jasmine had been at the same social events. They had Hazel’s statement, including her belief that Stephanie Welsh knew about her husband’s affair.
Asking the people closest to Jasmine and Stephanie about Congressman Welsh’s relationships had gotten them nowhere. There had to be an easier way of knowing if Jasmine was as innocent as she kept telling everyone.
Bonnie put her phone down. “We’ve got a visitor.”
Harry stopped eating. “No one should know we’re here.”
“This person does. Matthew is in the hotel.”
Ashley’s eyebrows rose. “Matthew Gray?”
Bonnie nodded. “Before you get all righteous and annoyed, just remember that he helped you out of a sticky situation.”
“I’m not annoyed, just surprised. Why is he here?”
“You can ask him yourself in a few minutes. He’s on his way down from the twenty-fourth floor.”
“He’s staying at the hotel?”
“It sounds like it,” Bonnie said. “It’s just as well we bought too much takeout.”
Ashley looked at the containers of food covering her desk. Making sure Matthew had something to eat was the least of her worries.
***
Matthew knocked on the door of room 1411. He’d tried calling Ashley’s cell phone, but it kept going to voicemail. Out of desperation, he’d called Bonnie’s number. It was just as well Ashley had left her friend’s phone number with him in case there was an emergency.
The door opened and Ashley stood in front of him. “Hi.”
