Page 132 of Smoke Screen
Come.
On.
A bizarre mix of relief and bewilderment washed over Maddy, her head dipping forward a fraction before she caught herself.
This was what she’d wanted. To find the person responsible and clear her name. Now it seemed they had a start, but the idea of President Thompson’s own nephew, someone the man had given precious time and knowledge to, being involved?
A niggling thought bugged her. Louis Three hadn’t even graduated from college yet. Age didn’t matter with money and a person’s want of it, but Louis?
“Thompson’s nephew,” Maddy said. “How would he even know how to pull that off?”
The man shrugged. “That’s the rumor.”
Maddy looked up at Phin, still on his feet, blindfold in hand. Perhaps his experience, his insight into how people ticked, might offer clarity. “I don’t understand that,” she said. “It’s not as if he needs the money. His father gives him whatever he wants. President Thompson has been good to him.Reallygood. How could he do this?”
For a second, Phin stared down at her, his gaze direct. No pity. No poor-sweet-Maddy. “I don’t know,” he said.
At least she wasn’t the only one perplexed. Maddy went back to the creep. “What else did you hear?”
“That’s it. Guys talk all the time.”
Phin lifted his hand, gesturing for the man to stand. “We’ll get into the who and why later. Right now, we need the jewels back. Let’s hit it.”
The second theircontact pulled out of the parking lot Maddy and Phin switched places, passing each other in silence at the rear bumper before she hopped into the passenger seat.
She swiveled sideways to face him.
“Louis!”she said, still gobsmacked.“That’s … wild.”
“Eh. Nothing shocks me anymore.”
Should she do it? Get her hopes up that she’d be cleared as early as today?
No. Not with the way the last few days had gone. Until she heard from the FBI that she was no longer a suspect, she wouldn’t get sucked in.
She held up her hand, palm out. “He said it was a rumor. And rumors aren’t necessarily accurate. If true at all.And,” she flapped her outstretched hand, “if Louis hired the Veras to steal the pieces, why do they still have them? They should have turned them over to him by now. I don’t understand any of this. I think he’s lying.”
“It’s possible. Believe me, there’s plenty of gossip floating around Steele Ridge about my family and most isn’t even close to the truth. Same could have happened here.”
He reached across the console, set his hand on her arm, and squeezed, the warmth settling her embattled thoughts.
“This is where it gets hard,” he said. “Adrenaline flows and you want to jump ahead five steps. We can’t. We need to take it one step at a time. Okay?”
She knew this. Had experienced it herself during the weeks leading up to the opening of the Thompson Center. And every time they unveiled a new exhibit.
The pressure she put on herself was immense and the mental bedlam often wore her to a nub.
She leaned closer to him and he met her halfway. She rested her forehead against his shoulder, the swish in her belly reminding her to be grateful Phin Blackwell had come into her life.
Where they’d wind up as a couple, she couldn’t know, but he’d helped her. Literally saved her life yesterday. For that alone, she wasn’t sure how to repay him.
For now, she’d get her mind right. Do as he said and focus on one step at a time.
She sat straight, lifted her chin. “One step at a time,” she said. “I can do that. Where to now?”
“The Thompson Center.”
Whoa. She didn’t see that one coming. Were they just going to walk in and accuse Louis Three of theft?
