Chapter 5
Five
Present Day
Mo jumped to his feet and paced by the windows lining Cal’s office. It was that or he was going to grab Bronwyn, haul her out of here fireman-style, throw her in his Jeep, and drive off with her. He might not stop until they hit Texas.
Where was Maisy when he needed her? Cal had left his golden retriever with Landry today, but Mo wished she were here now.
Meredith had her arm around Bronwyn.
Cal stood as well. He leaned on the table and gave off hurricane vibes. He was the calm center but the storm raged around him. “What exactly happened to make you think that someone’s trying to kill you?”
“I don’t know!” Bronwyn’s breath came in fast, short gasps.
“Back off, Cal. She’s going to hyperventilate.” Mo’s voice was strong. “Meredith, give her some space.”
Meredith leaned back and rubbed Bronwyn’s back in slow circles. “Breathe. I know you’re scared. But you’re safe here. No one will touch you.”
Bronwyn wiped at her eyes, took a deep breath, and rolled her shoulders a few times. “I’m okay. Sorry. That’s the first time I’ve said it out loud. I’ve barely even let myself think it.”
Mo pressed his head against the window and stared toward the mountains. He saw nothing. His focus was on the words coming from behind him.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” Bronwyn went on.
“Little things have been happening. Strange sounds, shadows. Last week, I was so sure someone was following me home that by the time I got inside and locked the door, it felt like I’d run a marathon.
Then a few days ago, I went into the office early and when I walked in, I had the strangest sensation that things were out of place.
Nothing I could put my finger on. I dismissed it, but then the same thing happened the next day. ”
“Did you figure out what was off?” Meredith asked.
“Yes.”
Mo turned around at that.
“My office chair had been moved.”
“Could it have been the cleaning crew?” Cal asked.
“No. They didn’t come in that night. And before you ask, the reason I’m sure is because I intentionally left it in a specific spot. I did it in a way that if someone had snuck a camera in my office, they wouldn’t be able to tell what I’d done. But the chair had definitely been moved.”
“When was this?” Cal’s question had the command of the Marine officer he’d once been. Mo had no doubt Cal’s investigative mind was already preparing a strategy.
“Two nights ago.”
“Why didn’t you call us yesterday?”
Mo turned to watch Bronwyn respond to Meredith’s question.
Bronwyn threw up her hands. “And say what, exactly? Someone moved my chair?”
“Yes!” Meredith mimicked Bronwyn’s hand motions. “Because no one was supposed to be in your office.”
“So what happened last night? Because it sounds to me like you’ve been jumping at shadows for at least a few weeks.
” Cal walked in a circle around the room.
“I’m not saying the shadows aren’t real.
I’m repeating your own words. Things have been weird.
You’ve been stressed. But last night, the wave crested. Why?”
“I saw something I don’t think I was supposed to see.” Bronwyn dropped her face in her hands. “I’m not even sure it was about me, but in light of everything else, it felt personal.”
Mo waited for someone to ask the obvious question, but no one spoke up. They all sat there and waited for Bronwyn to continue.
“I got a text. It was only a few words. It said, ‘We might be able to take care of the problem tonight.’ I didn’t have the number in my contacts, and the person who sent it tried to delete it.”
Cal looked confused. “What?”
“You know how you can delete a text but only if the person didn’t already see it?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I had my phone in my hand. I saw it. Then I saw that the person had unsent it.” She tapped the screen.
“But, again, all of this could have a perfectly reasonable explanation. It might be nothing. It could be paranoia on my part. But I couldn’t get it out of my head.
I worked super late, and normally, I’d be there alone.
But Nathan was working in his office too.
Randall came by on his rounds, and at first, I thought he might be there to harm me.
I really did. But when I settled down and thought about our conversation, I realized that he didn’t think it was safe for me to go back to my place alone.
I think he wanted to protect me from my own cousin. ”
First on Mo’s mental checklist: Find out who Randall was and whether he was trustworthy.
“Okay. But why would you think someone in your family wanted to come after you in the first place?” Cal asked the question in a quiet voice.
“I can’t explain it. I think they’re watching me. I’ve been wondering if they might have bugged my office.”
Second on Mo’s mental checklist: Scan Bronwyn’s office for bugs.
“Who has access to your office?” Meredith asked.
“Too many people.” Bronwyn ticked them off on her fingers.
“My assistant. The cleaning crew. Nathan has a master key. A few others do as well. No one should be entering, and there’s video surveillance that would be triggered if they did.
But if someone wanted to plant a bug, it wouldn’t be that hard to do.
It would be even easier to bug the conference room. ”
Meredith grimaced. “That’s a lot of people, but why would any of them bug your office?”
“I don’t know. To follow up on me? To see if they can catch me doing something they don’t think I should do? To find out if I’m planning to oust a few board members?”
“Are you?” Cal asked.
“Am I what? Doing stuff I shouldn’t do?”
Cal grimaced. “I doubt they think they could catch you doing something inappropriate. What I was asking was if you’re planning to get rid of a few board members.”
“Yes. Steven’s mother is on the board. His. Mother.” Bronwyn’s frustration was palpable. “She’s refused to acknowledge her son’s crimes and refuses to step down. We have a pretty weird setup when it comes to our board, but there are guidelines and requirements of which she’s in breach.”
“What are the requirements?” Meredith asked.
“You have to be family by blood or marriage. Multiple family members can work in the business at different levels, but no more than one member of an immediate family group can be on the board at any one time. So going back to Steven—his dad served for several years, but then he rotated off and his wife filled his spot.”
“Okay. But what about business requirements, financial skills, that kind of thing?”
Bronwyn gave Meredith a flat look.
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh. There are no requirements beyond faithfully attending the board meetings. This means they roll up in there with random and ludicrous requests that are beyond the scope of their responsibility or authority. Sometimes they make no sense at all. Once in a while, there’s good, solid discussion, but usually, it’s a disaster. ”
“So they have to be family, and they have to show up. What else?” Cal asked.
“There’s a morality clause. My grandfather put it in, and no one ever bothered to take it out.
If I can prove”—Bronwyn tapped the table with her finger—“and I mean beyond a shadow of a doubt that a member of the immediate family group has committed a crime, I can oust them. And Steven is guilty of kidnapping, drug trafficking, and attempted murder. Everyone knows he’s guilty as sin.
But there’s that pesky ‘innocent until proven guilty’ aspect of the case that’s been keeping me in check.
The minute he’s found guilty in a court of law, his mother is off the board.
And if I can figure out how to do it before then, I will. They know that.”
“So you can’t get rid of them unless they’re convicted of a crime in a court of law?” Meredith shook her head. “I’m sorry, but that’s not much of a morality clause. There’s plenty of stuff a person could do that is immoral that would never get them convicted of a crime.”
Bronwyn glanced at Mo for the briefest moment before she fixed her gaze on a point somewhere behind Cal.
“I can also oust them for any involvement with a guest that is not of a”—she made air quotes—“professional nature. And yes, since that’s the elephant in the room, that clause was put in because of me.
My father had it added. Basically, if anyone in the family has a tryst with a guest, they and their family unit lose their spot on the board.
They don’t lose their job, but they don’t get to be part of the decision-making process. ”
Mo tried not to react, but heat flared down his spine. “Does anyone else think Bronwyn’s dad is a real piece of work?”
Meredith and Cal raised their hands. Bronwyn huffed and raised her hand as well.
“Just checking.” Mo had never liked Bronwyn’s dad. He would never like him, but he did seem to have some kind of control over Bronwyn that made Mo’s skin crawl. At least she acknowledged that the man was a jerk.
“Was your father putting that clause in some kind of power play?” Cal asked.
“I think he did it to embarrass me. He’s never taken any responsibility for what happened. Don’t get me wrong. I did it. It’s on me. I’m the one who ran off with an older man.”
“Excuse me.” Meredith reached over and grabbed Bronwyn’s hand. “As previously discussed, you were sixteen, and he was a predator.”
“As previously discussed, I was sixteen, not six. I’m not free of culpability here. He turned my head. I let him turn it.”
Mo wasn’t sure how long he could stay in this room and listen to them talk about this. It was a raw, open wound, and he wasn’t sure it would ever heal. He caught Cal’s eye and saw the understanding there.
Cal cleared his throat. “How does the part where Steven sold drugs to guests not count as involvement with a guest?”