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Ashley’s heart nearly stopped beating when she saw the price Claud had charged for the timber and the date on the invoice. “This . . . this happened last June?” she asked, her throat constricting. The transaction occurred only a few weeks before the bribery charges were made against Trevor.

“Right. And the price of the timber is way off—ridiculously low. At first I thought it had to be a computer error. We were selling rough timber at three times that much.”

“But you changed your mind?” Ashley prodded, barely daring to breathe. Something in John’s mannerisms told her to brace herself.

John adjusted his glasses and scowled. “Yes. It just didn’t make any sense to me.”

“But now it does?” Ashley was almost afraid to ask.

“No. I know how it happened, I just don’t understand why.”

“What do you mean?”

He seemed to hesitate before he reached into his briefcase and extracted some gray photocopies of invoices, which he handed to Ashley. “I did some more checking. Claud was the one who gave the mill the price break, but he had your father’s approval.”

Ashley let out a shuddering sigh. “You’re sure about that?”

“Got the memo right here.” He handed the next incriminating piece of paper to her. Ashley accepted it with trembling fingers.

“Dear Lord,” she whispered as she recognized her father’s bold scrawl.

“What’s this all about?” John asked.

“I’m not really sure,” she replied. “But I’m afraid it means trouble—big trouble.”

“I thought so.” The young accountant rose and paced around the room. “l’m not too crazy about being in the middle of this,” John admitted, “whatever the hell it is.” He regarded his employer intently. “I thought at first that this might just be a power struggle between you and Claud. But there’s more to it than that, isn’t there?”

“I think so.”

“Does any part of it have to do with Trevor Daniels?” The question sent a cold shock wave through Ashley.

“Why would you think that?”

“I just put two and two together.” John’s mouth slanted into a sarcastic grin. “That’s my job.”

“And did you end up getting four?”

“I think so.” John held up one finger. “Claud’s been furious ever since you took over.” Another finger was raised. “You ask me for all of these reports. The only discrepancy concerns the Watkins Mill. Beau Watkins, the owner, was the one who was involved in that bribery mess with Daniels last summer, wasn’t he?”

Silently, Ashley nodded.

“Right.” He held up a third finger. “Claud’s been storming around the office ranting about Daniels’s bid for the Senate. It’s really a sore spot with him. Therefore—”

“You deduced that Trevor was involved.”

“Bingo.” The fourth f

inger straightened.

Ashley couldn’t lie. She was asking too much of John to expect him to follow her blindly. “Trevor’s convinced that there are shady dealings within the company.”

“That’s hardly today’s news.”

“I know.” Ashley sighed. “But he thinks that Claud would go to any lengths to ruin his chances in the senatorial race.”

“What lengths?” John’s expression was grim.

Ashley shrugged indifferently, though the skin was stretched tightly over her cheekbones and her stomach was knotting painfully. “Bribery, sabotage . . .”

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