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“Easy,” Rock said. “To implicate me. To implicate all of us. Jesus Christ.”
“But—” Lacey began.
“You have to think like Derek Wolfe,” Rock said. “It was a cover-your-ass thing.”
“You lost me there somewhere,” Roy piped in.
“First,” I said, “the phone call”—air quotes—“proves that both Rock and I knew about the hit. Then we have the will that Lacey drew up, naming Rock as CEO instead of me. Giving it all to Rock. So by me telling Rock about the hit, that sets Rock up to be implicated because he knows he’d be taking over. It sets me up as well because I’d be angry Rock was taking over instead of me.”
“But none of us knew that,” Roy said.
“No, but Dad knew. About the will. He was sowing the seeds to pit us all against each other and try to implicate each other.”
“Motherfucker,” Rock said. “His fingerprints are all over this, and there’s no fucking way to prove it.”
Someone pounded on the door to the conference room.
“What is it?” I yelled.
“It’s me.” Terrence’s voice. Terrence whom I no longer trusted.
“What do you want, Terrence?”
He opened the door. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for—”
Two uniformed NYPD officers followed Terrance into the room. “Lacey Ward Wolfe?”
Lacey’s face went pale. “Yes?”
“You’re under arrest for the murder of Derek Wolfe.” One of the officers entered and grabbed Lacey out of her chair.
Rock stood. “Hands off my wife, asshole.”
Lacey’s eyes were wide with fear. “Rock, please… You’ll just get yourself in trouble.”
The officer cuffed Lacey’s hands behind her back.
“Come on,” I said. “You’re really going to parade her out of here in cuffs? The wife of our CEO?”
“I’m only following orders, sir,” the blue said.
“You have the right to remain silent,” the other officer began. “Anything you say can and will be held against you. You have the right to an attorney. If you can’t afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.”
“She’ll have the best fucking attorney,” Rock said. “What is the basis for this arrest?”
“Detective Morgan has determined probable cause and the DA agrees,” the blue who cuffed Lacey offered. “That’s all we know.”
I glared at Terrence.
I didn’t know for sure if he had anything to do with this, but somehow my father had gotten into my office to make that phone call to Rock.
“I’m going with her,” Rock said. “Don’t worry, baby. I won’t rest until you’re cleared.”
“I’m innocent,” Lacey said softly.
“We know,” I said. “We’ll prove it.”
Even as I said the words, though, I knew how difficult proving her innocence would be. Dad had put this whole thing in motion, but somewhere along the way, his plan had been derailed.
His original plan must have been to fake his death to implicate Rock and me. Riley would be implicated simply because of her past with Dad, and Roy because he had seen Dad’s hunting antics with his own eyes. Derek had all of us.
Whoever got wind of it and had him killed for real had found it easiest to implicate Lacey.
The tape of her entering and leaving her place the night of the murder had disappeared. Items of hers were found in strange places.
And she was Rock’s wife now, so Rock was still being punished.
Someone had thought this out very well.
Someone with a brilliant criminal mind.
Someone who was able to outsmart Derek Wolfe.
I looked around the room as the cops led Lacey out and Rock followed.
The guilty party was not here. Call it instinct, but I was sure of it.
No. Our mastermind was out there, and he was still calculating.
Which meant, even though a suspect was in custody, none of us were safe.
49
Zee
I’d showered and dressed, drunk two cups of coffee, and was sitting in Reid’s master suite alcove, when someone knocked on the door.
“Ms. Jones?”
I walked to the door and opened it. Lydia stood there.
“Yes?”
She fidgeted nervously. “I’m sorry, Ms. Jones, but there’s a police officer here to escort you to the precinct for questioning.”
My skin went numb. “What? Did you call Reid?”
“I didn’t.”
I grabbed my phone and called Reid quickly.
“Zee?” he said breathlessly.
“Reid, I need you. Lydia says there’s an officer here to take me in for questioning.”
“Fuck. This too?”
“What do you mean?”
“They’ve just arrested Lacey.”
My heart dropped. “Lacey? You said she had no motive.”
“She doesn’t. But someone thinks she does. Or rather, someone wants the police to think she does. But don’t worry about that. Do not leave. I’m coming up.”
I nodded, though of course he couldn’t hear me through the phone. “Okay.” But the call had dropped already.
“Reid’s coming up.”
Lydia nodded. “The officer said you should come out.”
I shook my head vehemently. “Not until Reid gets here.”
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know. He said he’s coming up, so he’s probably just in the office.”
God, I hoped I was right. I couldn’t do this without Reid. I just couldn’t.
Relax, I told myself. You’re not a suspect. You have an alibi.
