Fidelity (Infidelity #5)

“No, she’s still asleep.”

“I’m glad someone is getting sleep.”

“Neither of us got much.”

“I’ve told you… too much information.”

I grinned, remembering Charli’s sexy body in my arms. “That’s not where I was going. We should have moved faster. I never should have left her there for that long.”

“And have left her mother and Chelsea in harm’s way? Alexandria wouldn’t have allowed it.”

Fuck her approval.

I swallowed my response and went back to what Deloris had said earlier. “You already had Magnolia Woods bugged. You said Fitzgerald was there. Are you on it?”

“Yes. The nurse, Mack?”

“That big guy,” I said, recalling the video feed from Adelaide’s room.

“He woke with a whopping headache. Though his memory is fuzzy, he’s certain there was a doctor who came in to get Alex’s mom, but the video footage doesn’t corroborate his story. If they’d do a toxicology screen, they’d know he was drugged. They haven’t and pretty soon it will be too late. They seem to have taken the footage as unaltered. Not surprisingly, the facility administrators are more concerned about their reputation than his story.

“Before Fitzgerald was consulted about his wife’s disappearance, Magnolia Woods contacted the Savannah-Chatham police. They’ve taken Mack in for questioning. If I’m to interpret the chatter correctly, they’re currently holding him under suspicion of aiding and abetting in Mrs. Fitzgerald’s kidnapping. They’re waiting for a ransom demand.”

“That won’t last when they learn it wasn’t a kidnapping.”

“No, but they can hold him for up to seventy-two hours. It’s a nice diversion and makes the police and Magnolia Woods feel like they’re doing something.”

“None of this has made the news? No leak at all?” I asked.

“Fitzgerald demanded radio silence. Porter, his attorney, claimed that at the very least the facility is negligent. Magnolia Woods wants it kept quiet and handled internally. They boast the wealthiest clientele. Losing one of them, especially one who was last seen unconscious, isn’t good for business. And the police want it kept quiet until they hear from the kidnapper. They’re concerned that media coverage will bring out false demands.”

I nodded. “Well, at least for now, that seems to be working.”

“From the feed at Hamilton and Porter, I’m expecting Alex and Chelsea to be subpoenaed back to Savannah sooner rather than later.”

The cool air was forgotten. “I’m not allowing her to go alone.”

“I didn’t expect you to.”

My mind went to Demetri Enterprises. I never thought I’d be happy to have Oren back in New York, but I was. I was relieved to know that he would be where I should be while I was away with Charli.

My bare skin prickled as the cold wind picked up. At the same moment, a rustling in the tree line caught my attention. My voice lowered. “Oren’s men are out here.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes, we’ve spoken. You’re better protected right now than the president.”

“You’ve spoken?”

“Many times.”

“You still work for me.”

“Lennox, right now, we’re all working together.”

I let out a long breath. “I never thought I’d want that, not after he left and moved away, but now…”

“Be thankful.”

I nodded. “I am. I’m going inside to talk to him now and to find out how Charli’s mom is doing, before Charli wakes.”

“One more thing that you should know,” Deloris said.

“What?”

“Just because Edward Spencer is still behind bars, that doesn’t mean they won’t allow him to post bail. I’m sure there’ll be restrictions to ensure that he doesn’t flee, but I’d venture to guess that Mr. Fitzgerald will stop at nothing to get him out.”

“Even with a body?”

“Out until trial. If he’s convicted, which he should be, no one will be able to keep him from going behind bars.”

“I want him dead,” I confessed. “I want them both to be, and I want to be the one to do it.” I flexed the knuckles of my free hand. “I want them to know fear.”

“For a minute or for twenty years?”

I gave her question some thought as the waves blurred, giving the illusion of snow covering frozen water. “Twenty years.”

“Then let him hang himself,” Deloris said. “Without Chelsea’s corroboration, his defense is shaky at best. He does have the travel records. He was in California the night Chelsea was attacked, but let’s find out when Melissa was killed. Let’s see if he has a defense. That’s why they want the ladies back in Savannah. Ralph Porter is betting that they can vouch for his whereabouts.”

“You still have nothing on the ME’s report?”

“I’m waiting. I should learn as soon as Porter does.”

“Let us know.”

“I will. I’m driving up to Rye soon. I hope to convince Chelsea to allow me to take pictures of the abuse. They can be used to get her out of her agreement. Perhaps they could even be leaked to the press.”