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“What if I can offer you a better alternative?”
“We’re not interested in making deals, Senator,” Davenport said.
“Not a deal.” Grayson looked directly at Mannis. “An alternative theory.”
Mannis leaned back in his chair. Crossed his arms. “I’m listening.”
“I admit someone has given me a heads-up once or twice for buying or selling certain stocks. I had little money growing up, and I’ve found it hard to resist since gaining a position where it was so readily available.”
“We’re not interested in your sob story,” Davenport interjected.
Grayson glared at him. “But I’m not a murderer. I didn’t have the best relationship with my son. Have I ever wished he’d learn a lesson he’d never forget? Yeah, of course. But you have to be alive to never forget it. I’d never kill my own kid.”
“Just because you didn’t pull the trigger doesn’t mean you didn’t kill him,” Mannis added.
Grayson wilted. It was clear the thought hadn’t occurred to him, and it was a devastating train of thought. “I’m not saying this isn’t my fault, one way or another. Maybe it is. Because of who I am. What I do. But I didn’t kill him. I never told anyone to kill him.”
“You said you had an alternative theory.” Mannis gestured for him to go ahead. “Let’s hear it.”
“Understand, there are many people who want to see me succeed. If I succeed, then they succeed.” There was sweat on his brow now. “If I don’t fall in line, then I’m out of the race. If my kid is in too many headlines, they find a way to control him. If they can’t control him, then they deal with the problem. I just didn’t think—I didn’t think they’d go this far.”
Mannis looked concerned now. “What are you trying to say? Someone’s pulling your strings?”
“Not just mine.” He looked manic. “Everyone. All the biggest politicians in North Carolina. In D.C. Maybe even the world. I don’t know how far their reach is. But they have the motivation and capability of killing Connor.”
“Who?” Mannis asked. He leaned forward. “Who would have that kind of reach? That kind of power?”
Grayson took a deep breath. For a second, it looked like he didn’t want to say the name out loud. When he finally did, it came out as a whisper. Cassie almost missed it.
“Apex Publicity.”
31
The room was silent as everyone absorbed Grayson’s words. Cassie imagined their thoughts mirrored her own. Apex? The publicity company? Arguably one of the most successful businesses in the United States. The guy who ran the company was a self-made billionaire who had clients from politicians to celebrities to sports heroes. That one? Capable of murder?
Cassie and Viotto exchanged glances, and he looked just as confused as she was. Mannis was frozen. Davenport was close to laughter.
“You’re shitting me.” He shook his head. “If you’re gonna pick a fall guy, pick one that makes sense. Why would Ellis Arnaud want the son of a nobody politician dead?”
Grayson’s head snapped to attention. “I’m not a nobody politician.”
“Look, I respect you and your policies, but you’re in the North Carolina State Senate. You might have presidential aspirations, but so do ninety percent of the guys in Washington. What makes you so special?”
“I never said Arnaud wanted him dead.” Grayson took an angr
y swig of water. “I said Apex.”
“So, the company wanted him dead.” Davenport wasn’t hiding his laughter now. “Not the guy running it.”
Mannis finally came out of his stupor. “Let’s give him a chance to explain.”
Grayson unbuttoned the cuffs on his sleeves, rolled them up, and then leaned forward on the table. Cassie could hear the desperation in his voice, but there was something more to it. A point he needed to prove—maybe it was about his son, or maybe it was something more.
“When Apex first approached me, I was young. This was about ten years ago. They asked if I wanted them to represent me. Showed me the work they’d done, the people they’d helped put on the front page of various newspapers. How they’d gone from a bunch of nobodies to the top stars in their fields.”
“Politicians?” Mannis asked.
“Everybody. Actors, musicians, football players. But yeah, a lot of politicians, too. Overnight sensations. All because of Apex.”
