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“Carole was instructed to eat away at Tate’s emotions. Nelson knew that the unhappier Tate was, the unhappier I would be. She did everything she was told to do and then some. The only decision she made independently was to have an abortion. I don’t think Nelson knew about that. It made him furious, but only because he was afraid it would cost Tate the election.”
Zee moved toward the bed and took Avery’s hand. “Can you forgive me for the cruel accusations I made against you?”
“You didn’t know,” she said gruffly. “And Carole deserved your antipathy.”
“I’m sorry about your friend Mr. Lovejoy, Ms. Daniels.” Bryan’s expression was gentle—far different from when he’d taken aim on Eddy and fired. “We had a guy watching Paschal, but he slipped past him that night.”
“Van is really the one responsible for saving Tate’s life,” Avery said emotionally. “He must have viewed hours of video before finding the tape that explained why Eddy Paschal looked familiar to him. Eddy must have eluded your tail on several occasions, Mr. Tate, because he no doubt followed me to Irish’s house. That’s how he knew they were connected. It also helped him trace who Carole really was.”
“Have you heard anything about Mr. McCabe’s condition?”
She smiled through her tears. “After I insisted, they let me see him this morning. He’s still in an ICU and his condition is serious, but they think he’s going to pull through.”
“Ironically, McCabe’s massive heart attack saved his life. It kept Paschal from shooting him. Paschal’s mistake was not making certain McCabe was dead when he dragged him off that elevator.
“May I ask, Ms. Daniels,” Bryan continued, “what first clued you that Mr. Paschal was going to make an attempt on Tate’s life?”
“She was told,” Tate said.
Surprised reaction went through the group like an electric current. Jack was the first to speak. “By whom? When?”
“When I was in the hospital,” she replied, “while I was still bandaged and being taken for Carole.” She explained her involvement from that time up to the moment the night before when she had rushed up on the stage. When she finished, she glanced at Bryan and apologetically said, “I thought you were a hired killer.”
“So you did notice me?”
“I have a reporter’s trained eye.”
“No,” he said, “I was personally involved and not as careful as usual. I took tremendous chances of being recognized in order to stay close to Tate.”
“I still can’t distinguish the voice, but I believe it was Nelson, not Eddy, who spoke to me that night in the hospital,” Avery remarked, “though I’ll admit it never occurred to me that he would be the one.”
On her behalf, Bryan said, “Ms. Daniels couldn’t say anything to anyone at the risk of putting her own life in danger.”
“And Tate’s,” she added, shyly casting her eyes downward when he glanced at her sharply.
Jack said, “You probably thought I was out to kill my brother. Cain and Abel.”
“It did cross my mind on more than one occasion, Jack. I’m sorry.” Because he and Dorothy Rae were still holding hands, she refrained from mentioning his infatuation with Carole.
“I think it’s freaking wonderful how you pulled it off,” Fancy declared. “Pretending to be Carole, I mean.”
“It couldn’t have been easy,” Dorothy Rae said, slipping her arm through her husband’s. “I’m sure you’re glad that everything’s out in the open.” She gave Avery a look that conveyed a silent thank-you. It made sense to her now why her sister-in-law had been so compassionate and helpful recently. “Is that all, Mr. Tate? Are we free to go and let Avery rest?”
“Call me Bryan, and yes, that’s all for now.”
They filed out. Zee moved to Avery’s side. “How can I ever repay you for saving my son’s life?”
“I don’t want any repayment. Not everything was faked.” The two women exchanged a meaningful gaze. Zee patted her hand and left under Bryan’s protective arm.
The silence they left behind was ponderous. Tate finally left his position against the wall and moved to the foot of her bed. “They’ll probably get married,” he remarked.
“How will you feel about that, Tate?”
He studied the toes of his boots for a moment before raising his head. “Who could blame them? They’ve been in love with each other for longer than I’ve been alive.”
“It’s easy now to understand why Zee always seemed so sad.”
“Dad kept her an emotional prisoner.” He gave a dry laugh. “Guess I can’t refer to him as Dad anymore, can I?”
