Everyone laughed, but when the room grew quiet, Sharon swirled her tea in her glass and said, “There’s something about this that still doesn’t make sense to me. I get that they were worried about you recognizing Monteith, but I don’t understand why Wendy came after you at the Carmichaels’. What was so important that she would take that kind of risk?”
Tessa pointed to Sabrina. “You want to take this one?”
“Sure,” Sabrina said. “That loose end rubbed me the wrong way too. So I kept digging. Turns out that five years ago, McCloud and Wendy reached an agreement. McCloud is wealthy and influential, but Monteith was the true Janus. He knew everyone, was liked by everyone, and had the charisma that made people think the best of him. Meadows had no clue about Monteith’s predilections, but McCloud did.” Sabrina paused. “We were able to get warrants, and we found a record of a phone call from McCloud to Wendy Monteith at 2:30 a.m. on the night of Tessa’s abduction.”
“So he knew what Monteith was up to, knew what he might do, but still let him leave?” Sharon asked.
“It appears so. We’re still putting the pieces together, but we think McCloud got some dirt on Wendy, and then turned the tables on her. Her father was never to know, but she no longer answered to him. She answered to McCloud about Tyson’s behavior and actions. McCloud paid her and paid her well. Her responsibility wasn’t just to get her dad out of trouble, which she’d been doing for years. It was to keep him out of trouble. So that night, while Meadows was blissfully enjoying another bourbon, McCloud suspectedwhat Monteith was up to, called Wendy, and told her to shut him down.”
“So, what? She drove to Raleigh and got her dad out of the room?” Emily asked.
“No. We think she called him and told him she knew what he was doing and he left on his own.”
“But that still doesn’t explain why she was so determined to take Tessa out on the spot,” Leslie said.
Sabrina let out an aggrieved sigh. “She’s claiming now that McCloud threatened to kill her father if Tessa walked out of there alive.”
“What?” A chorus of feminine voices asked.
“Apparently the original plan was to kill Tessa with a dose of insulin. Graham was never supposed to be in danger, but he caught Wendy with the gun. According to his version, he told her she needed to hand it over. Instead, she shot him and stashed him in the bathroom.”
“I thought she was some big bad fixer,” Leigh said. “She sounds like an idiot.”
“Part of why she was good was because she left the dirty work to others. She’d never shot anyone, and when she did, the whole thing spiraled out of control. Before she could come up with a new plan, Tessa went upstairs with Rodriguez and found Graham.”
Tessa took over the tale. “Monteith told the investigators that he’d recently changed his will. Apparently daddy dearest wasn’t quite as dumb as Wendy and McCloud thought. He didn’t know the specifics, but he knew something was hinky. So he added a clause that if he died under mysterious circumstances, or by foul play, Wendy’s inheritance would go to a charity.”
“So if she didn’t take you out of the equation on Friday night and McCloud followed through on his threat, she’d be without aninheritance.” Sharon summarized the situation but pressed for more. “Okay. I get that. But why did McCloud insist on taking Tessa out?”
Luke answered. “Our best guess is that he saw the writing on the wall and decided that Monteith could survive the scandal if Tessa wasn’t alive to plead her case. But if she recognized him, it would be all over.”
ZANE STOOD INSIDETHE DOOR,listening to every word. No one but Luke and Jacob knew he was here. He’d planned to run out there and pull Tessa into his arms, plant a kiss on her lips, and drag her away from everyone else so he could have her all to himself tonight. But then she’d started talking, and he decided to wait. He didn’t want to steal her moment.
“What does the president have to say about all of this?” Sabrina asked. “Monteith was his friend, after all.”
“He’s a politician. And he has enough distance from Monteith that it won’t blow back on him, so my guess is he plans to keep it that way. Nothing has leaked so far. If we can keep Hank Littlefield away, hopefully we’ll be able to keep a lid on everything. And the president’s relationship with Carmichael is solid. When I visited today, he told me the president has called him three times to check on Graham and to see if he needs anything.”
“Have the protestors backed off any?” Ivy asked.
“Yes and no. They’ve tried a few things, but because of what happened here, the Secret Service has the authority to eject them from any event, prevent them from entering any venue. So everyone we have listed on the records as a supporter of Calvin Cross can’t get close, and they can’t do anything about it.” Tessa looked up. “And I got an email today asking me to be involved in developing a drone prevention procedure.”
Everyone laughed at that, and Tessa threw up her hands. “As if I want to spend any more time learning about UAVs.” She scooted her chair away from the table. “And now, if you’ll excuse me—”
“Wait! I have another question.” Luke jumped to his feet.
“What more is there to answer?”
“Inquiring minds want to know. What’s the deal with you and Zane?”
Tessa spoke so low that Zane had to strain to hear it. “I think I’ve been in love with him since the first day I walked in the office. Then I messed everything up. And then I spent a lot of time thinking that I wasn’t good enough for him. And I still think that.”
Multiple protests came from around the table, and she held up her hand. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to love him forever. If he’s too dense to realize he can do better, who am I to convince him otherwise?”
Zane couldn’t take it anymore. He jogged to her. “What kind of foolishness are you spouting, Princess? You’re too good for me. Always have been. Doesn’t mean I’m not going to love you forever.”
“What are you doing here?” Her initial delight faded and her eyes narrowed. “Wait just a minute. What”—she overenunciated the word—“did you call me?”
He couldn’t stop himself from grinning like an idiot as he pulled her into his arms. “Oops.”
