Chapter 54
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
Later that night, Dana arrived for the late-night gab session at Courtney’s apartment in her pajamas and bathrobe. Just as she’d expected, Courtney had prepared a plate of nachos with guacamole and had a bottle of wine on hand for their talk. They sat across from each other, the food on the coffee table between them.
Courtney told her everything that had transpired at home during her absence, and then she asked a question. “How did you know Ian was embezzling from you in the first place?”
Dana smiled and launched into the tale. “I knew something was up when Kristy started acquiring outrageously expensive designer clothes and handbags. It didn’t really register, though, until I saw her with a Dior bag I knew retailed for seventy-five hundred dollars.”
Courtney let out a thin whistle. She’d often commented that Dana’s bags were expensive, and they didn’t cost nearly that much. Unlike Dana, Courtney would never have taken note of Kristy’s designer clothes. Her own clothes shopping revolved around Amazon and Kohl’s, and she rarely bought anything new unless an item became noticeably worn. Her crossbody bag, for example, had been part of her ensemble since their university days. “That much for a bag?”
“Believe me, some go for far more than that.” Dana took a chip and dug into the guacamole. “I knew Ian and Kristy didn’t have that kind of money, so I asked him about it and he lied and said it was a knockoff.”
“How did you know it was a lie?”
“Ian has a telltale sign. He always widens his eyes when he’s not telling the truth. It’s comical, really. He’s done it since he was a kid.”
“You never told me that.” Courtney thought back and tried to remember if she’d ever noticed Ian widening his eyes. She didn’t think so, but then again, she hadn’t been looking for it.
Dana shrugged. “It wasn’t important until now. Anyway, I knew the bag wasn’t a fake. The stitching and lining were top-shelf. I have a very good eye for fashion.” She went on to explain that after this conversation with her brother, she’d decided to do some digging into the company finances. “You’re not the only one who can do research, you know.”
“So you figured out Ian was taking your money. Why not just confront him, then? What was the point of pretending you got kidnapped?”
Dana took a sip of her wine. “I wanted to see if he’d pay the ransom. I figured if he did, I’d know that, when it came right down to it, he had my back. And if that was the case, I could almost forgive him for stealing my money. I mean, I shouldn’t have been shocked that Ian felt that my money was also his money. My mother was big on sharing.” She made a face. “And Ian’s always been a money-grubber. You know what hurts the most, though? I could have been killed, and he was just going to let it happen. I knew we didn’t get along, but we’re family. I thought he loved me.” She looked away and blinked. “I guess not.”
They sat in silence until finally Courtney said, “You could have told me what you had planned.”
“I couldn’t risk it. You’re not good at deception, you know. Your face would have given it away.” Courtney’s lack of guile was one of her most redeeming characteristics, and also one of her biggest flaws. She just couldn’t help being goodhearted and honest.
“I think I could have pulled it off.” Courtney’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m kind of mad at you right now, Dana. You have no idea what I went through. I was physically ill thinking about how you were being tortured or killed. I can’t believe you did that to me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You should be.”
Courtney wiped at her eyes with her fingertips. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it.”
“How about this? I promise never to do it again.”
Courtney burst out laughing, and Dana knew they were good again. “All right,” Courtney said. “I forgive you.”
From there, Dana told her everything that had happened right from the start. “After I tracked all of Ian’s transactions, I started checking out everyone. It was quite the rabbit hole. I can see why you get into it so much.”
“That’s when you noticed Ronald and Martha were getting extra money?”
“Yes. Ian listed the transfers as bonuses. For what he was giving them, I could have had the staff of Downton Abbey working here,” she said dryly. “And then I checked on my beautiful Antonio. That was a disappointment.”
Courtney’s interest had been piqued. “What was up with Antonio?”
“Turns out he has a bit of a checkered past.” She sighed. “A warrant out for his arrest for stealing from an employer a few years ago. And I found out his name isn’t actually Antonio and he isn’t from Spain.”
“Where is he from?”
“Omaha.” Dana shook her head in disgust. “Anyway, I’ve been tired of Antonio for a while now, but he did turn out to be useful.” Having the goods on Antonio had given her the upper hand. “I got him to pretend to be my brother and hire the two landscapers—those twins—to carry out the abduction. I used the motel Ian had bought with my money and arranged for the electricity to be on, and then I sent Antonio up ahead of time to get it ready for me.” Of course, she’d had no way of knowing those two idiots would rope their cousin Nolan into the whole scheme. Luckily, his presence had come in handy.
Dana had thought that using the Moondust Motel was a clever twist. Earlier, she’d found evidence that the motel was more valuable than it looked. In fact, her brother had been in the process of arranging to lease it to a company who wanted to build a cell tower there. Ha! That was never going to happen. “I told Antonio I wanted him gone from the house before I came back.”
“But what if something went wrong and you wound up being trapped in the motel room?” Courtney shuddered, imagining the worst.
“That wouldn’t have happened.” She explained how disabling the electricity released the locking mechanism on the doors. “Antonio worked with the electrician to make sure it worked that way. And I had paper clips and pens hidden around the room, including on the floor behind the toilet.” Dana grinned. “It was a backup plan, in case they didn’t let me have my purse. I could have left at any time.”
Dana had been busy. She’d also lined up a locksmith to secure Ian’s office and a process server, and she’d set up a freeze on her accounts, all of which would line up with her arrival home. But those were just details, not all that interesting compared to her own personal story. She continued talking, telling Courtney everything that had happened since they’d parted ways at the bookstore. Courtney was the best kind of audience, completely enthralled when Dana acted it out, laughing at the funny parts and letting out gasps when appropriate.
If that was all Courtney did, it would have been worth it to keep her around, but of course, she did so much more than that.
When Dana finished, Courtney actually clapped, which was as good as it got.