CHAPTER TWELVE
By five o’clock that night, everyone was sitting in Harry’s apartment, drinking coffee and waiting for Special Agent Fallon to call them.
“I can’t believe you nearly got caught.” Bonnie’s face turned white. “Jasmine could have called the police.”
“We weren’t trespassing,” Harry said. “We were invited.”
“Still…that was too close.” She handed Ashley a plate of takeout. “Were you able to finish your story without speaking to the teenagers?”
“I used a couple of quotes from a man I met before I went into the center.” Ashley gave Bonnie her phone. “Here’s the article. It’s just gone live.”
While Bonnie read the story, Matthew kept a watch on The Daily Mail’s Facebook page. The comments coming through about Jasmine didn’t look positive for the future of the Foundation.
Harry typed something on his computer keyboard. “I’ve got the article here if anyone wants to read a bigger version.”
Ashley stood behind him. “Your photos are amazing.”
“The light was perfect, especially for the outdoor shots.”
Matthew left his coffee on the table and stood beside Ashley. Harry had taken photos of the teenagers in the kitchen and the group that had been working on the computers. But it was the black and white photos in the garden that were incredible.
In one shot, a teenager was crouched on the ground, planting seedlings with William Chalmers beside him. The concentration, care, and respect that shone through the image showed what the center was all about.
Bonnie jumped when Ashley’s phone rang. She looked at the caller display and handed it to her. “It’s the FBI.”
Ashley took a deep breath and answered the phone. “Hello?” She walked to the sofa and sat down. She nodded and pulled her notebook closer, scribbling fast notes as the person spoke to her.
“Are you sure?” She bit her bottom lip and listened to the reply. “Okay. Thanks for calling.”
Bonnie sat beside her. “What’s happened?”
“Jasmine has been arrested for conspiracy to defraud and harassment. She sent the letters to us and paid someone to follow us.”
“Why would she do that?” Bonnie asked.
“As soon as I started looking at the Foundation she panicked. She knew what Congressman Welsh had done and didn’t want anyone else finding out. He’d taken money from her as well, so she couldn’t pay back the Foundation before we discovered their funding was missing.”
Harry shook his head. “I can’t believe she paid someone to intimidate you.”
Ashley slipped her phone into her pocket. “I guess she was desperate.”
Matthew kept a close eye on her. “What will you do next?”
She rubbed her palms along her jeans. “I’ll stay in the hotel tonight, then move back to my apartment tomorrow. There are more stories scheduled for the weekend paper. On Monday, I’ll go to work.”
A stone settled in the pit of his stomach. “Will you be okay?”
Her forced smile worried him. “Of course, I will. Jasmine and Congressman Welsh can’t do any more harm than they already have.”
Bonnie wrapped her arm around Ashley’s shoulders. “And we’ll be here to look after you.”
That didn’t make Matthew feel better. After spending the week with Ashley and her friends, he wasn’t sure any of them were safe.
***
On the way back to the hotel, Ashley hunted through her bag for a bottle of Tylenol. Her head was pounding. After weeks of looking over her shoulder, worried about who might be following her, the truth was hard to understand.
Each time she’d met Jasmine, she’d seemed like a polished, sophisticated, business woman. The people closest to her trusted her, but over the last six months, she’d blown that trust to shreds.
