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The door opened, and Dalton waved her in. Jordana and Rory were sitting on the sofa. She walked over and sat down on the chair.
“Did you...?” She raised her chin at the two on the couch. Dalton nodded. He was standing, leaning against the wall. “Do you want to sit?” She started to get up, but he shook his head.
“My back is hurting along with most of the rest of me. Sitting makes me stiffer.”
Jordana looked at Greer. “How are you feeling? You got tossed around pretty good this afternoon as well.”
“I’m a bit sore but okay. Mostly, I’m just in shock. The whole Moore mess is just unbelievable.”
Dalton swore. “Diabolical is the word you’re looking for. Someone took the time to plan it all out. Moore’s death would have been seen as a heart attack if it wasn’t for the loose wing.”
Greer leaned back in her chair. “Which begs the question of why loosen the wing when there are so many other ways to make a car crash?”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Jordana said, “and I think I know the reason. Whoever it was used the loosened wing for two reasons. One, it would be relatively easy to do without anyone noticing if the person didn’t have much time which is probably the case. And two, it would most likely be covered up by the accident. All kinds of stuff happens when a car hits a wall or another car or a tire barrier. It wouldn’t have necessarily stood out at all to investigators if it wasn’t for Dalton doing lead/follow training with Moore.”
“She’s right,” Rory agreed. “It wouldn’t take much to do it and it could have easily been seen as just part of the accident if Dalton hadn’t recorded it while Moore was driving.”
Dalton sighed. “But anyone who spends time at the track would have to assume we’d probably do some lead/follow laps. Why would they think it wouldn’t be noticed?”
“Two thoughts on that,” Greer said. “One, they aren’t from the racing world. Maybe they don’t know the setup of how things go for the first day on the track. Two, they are from the racing world, and maybe it was a calculated risk. They figured it might show up on video, but it just as easily could’ve happened earlier or later when Dalton wasn’t behind Moore. Also,” she said, warming to her theory, “everyone knows Hughes Racing has money trouble. What if the saboteur just assumed that even if Dalton did see the wing, he would keep his mouth shut because a revelation like that might bring down the team?”
“Then whoever it is doesn’t know Dalton,” Jordana said flatly.
“More likely they just figured he wasn’t above keeping his mouth shut.” Rory glanced at his brother. “It’s a definite theory. What do you think?”
Dalton winced as he shifted his weight. “I did keep my mouth shut so I guess they were right.”
“No, you didn’t. You told us and Greer and then started your own investigation. That’s why you two got hurt,” Jordana said. “That’s not keeping your mouth shut. That’s being prudent about who you tell."
“Maybe,” he allowed.
Greer wanted to go over and hug him, but to be fair, she had no idea where they were in the détente process at the moment. Having sex with her ex had been awesome, but the fact blurred the boundaries.
“I do think you all are right,” Dalton said, “and it’s a definite possibility. I’m sure whoever loosened the screws is from the racing world. No one else would grasp what would happen if the wing moved.”
“Well, that eliminates the family then. None of them are really into racing,” Greer pointed out.
“But Joe, Claire’s brother, and quite possibly Brian both take Adderall,” Dalton pointed out. “Not that I can see Joe doing anything. He seems to be a bit lost.”
“Claire could have used his Adderall and given it to Moore,” Jordana said. “I’m quite sure it wasn’t a love match, and I’m guessing she has a boyfriend back in the US. There were a few suspicious calls when I was with her.”
“We can confirm that,” Greer agreed. “She was making kissy noises at someone.”
“But she doesn’t know a damn thing about cars, so doesn’t that eliminate her?” Rory asked.
“I think,” Dalton started, “that we need to get some sleep. Or, at least, I need sleep. I can’t think about this anymore. I have to call James’s parents in the morning, and I just need some downtime.”
Jordana was on her feet in seconds. “I’m so sorry. You must be exhausted. Come on,” she said to Rory as she pulled him to his feet. “We’ll talk more about it tomorrow.”
Dalton straightened. “The team is very upset and rightly so. I told them James died, but I didn’t get into details. I asked them if they wanted to pack up and head back to Germany, but they all said they wanted to think about it. I did try to encourage them to take tomorrow off, but Mario called me back and said they all want to go to the track. Seems they think hanging out at the hotel will be worse.”
He turned to Jordana. “I know you wanted time in the car tomorrow, but I just think we need to take it easy. We all lost a friend in James, and the entire team needs a bit of a break. We’re also down a mechanic. We’ll see how everyone is doing before we start putting cars on the track.”
Jordana waved her brother off. “Don’t give it another thought. We’ll give them tonight to sit with it, and then Rory and I will go to the other hotel in the morning and talk to everyone. We’ll see how the crew is fairing, and we can judge from there if they want to stay and race or just pack up and go home.”
Go home? Those words hit Greer hard. She didn’t want this to end. Being here with these people felt so damn right. So comfortable. They were a family, one she could be a part of, a place where she fit in. One where she was a respected member and not just an ATM or a supporting cast member. And now they were talking about going home. It was as if someone had doused her with ice-cold water.
“Greer, are you okay?” Jordana was staring at her.
