AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ainsley hugged her half sister, who, despite having a newborn at home, looked as beautiful as ever. “It’s a long story,” she said. “I’ll fill you in later when we have time.”
Rafe came over to greet her next, concern shining in his blue eyes. Even though he’d been adopted by Payne as a child, as far as Ainsley was concerned he was her brother in all the ways that counted. “Kerry told me some of the details,” he said softly, referring to his fiancée, who was also one of the detectives working Payne’s case. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Ainsley nodded, touched by his concern. “I’m fine,” she assured him. “Really, I am.”
“You’d better be,” Grayson said. He stepped forward and wrapped her in a bear hug. Ainsley closed her eyes and soaked up her brother’s strength. They were only a year apart, and out of all her siblings, Grayson was her favorite. Though she’d never admit it out loud, especially not in front of Ace.
Ainsley gestured for everyone to sit. Marlowe and Rafe sat on one sofa, and she and Grayson took the other. “I asked you all here today so we could talk about the case. I learned a few things while at the retreat, and I wanted to fill you in.”
Over the next several minutes, Ainsley told her siblings about the connection between AAG and The Marriage Institute, and her run-in with Micheline Anderson. The three of them listened intently as she spoke, clearly interested in what she had to say.
The room was silent for a moment after she finished, each of her siblings processing this new information. Finally, Grayson spoke.
“What do you think she meant by ‘putting the big plan into motion?’”
Ainsley shook her head. “I have no idea. But it’s been bothering me ever since. She’s clearly planning something. The question is, what? Does it involve us?”
“I’m sure it does,” Marlowe said. “Even though Harley Watts hasn’t admitted it, we all know Micheline is the one who told him to send that email to the board.”
“I’m more convinced than ever that she’s really Luella Smith,” Ainsley said. Her siblings all nodded in agreement.
“I think that’s the most likely explanation,” Rafe said. “It’s all too coincidental—Luella disappears into the night and a few weeks later, boom. Micheline Anderson is born.”
“But where is that baby now?” Grayson asked. It was the question they’d all been asking. “If we find him, we’ll have all the answers.”
“That’s the problem,” Rafe said. “Luella Smith’s son, Jake Anderson, hasn’t been seen or heard from since he left town at the age of seventeen. I’m not supposed to talk about this, but Kerry said they’re having a hard time finding him.”
Ainsley frowned. “Do they think he’s in hiding?”
Rafe shrugged. “Hiding. Dead. Who knows?”
“Is it really that hard to find a person?” Grayson asked skeptically. “Don’t the cops have that fancy software that locates people in a matter of minutes?”
Rafe fixed Grayson with a droll stare. “They do on TV. But not in real life. Besides, do you know how many Jake Andersons are out there, both in and outside Arizona
? Mustang Valley PD simply doesn’t have the resources to track them all down.”
“Which means we’ll just have to wait,” Ainsley said. “Maybe we can hire a private investigator to work on behalf of the company.”
Marlowe nodded. “We should definitely consider it. Anything to get this wrapped up.”
“What about Micheline?” Grayson asked. “Are the police going to do anything about her?”
“Not at this time,” Ainsley said. “I told Spencer what she said about the big plan and that I knew she was up to something. He agrees with me, but there isn’t enough evidence to justify launching a full investigation.”
Marlowe shook her head. “This lady is bad news.”
“I agree,” Ainsley said. “But until she actually does something illegal, we can’t do anything about it.”
“What about Ace?” Grayson asked. “How is he holding up?”
Ainsley shrugged. “About as well as can be expected.” She filled them in on the search of his apartment and the gun that had been planted there. “Some woman named Destiny Jones said he showed her the gun and bragged about shooting Dad.”
Grayson snorted. “Ace was never one for subtleties, but even that is too over the top for him.”
“Tell me about it,” Ainsley agreed. “But it gets better—the police tried to bring her in for more questioning, but she skipped town.”
“Of course she did,” Rafe said dryly. “I’m sure whoever hired her made sure she was on the first bus out of Mustang Valley after the police found the gun. Can’t have her talking and undoing the frame job.”
