Rotten Apple (Bennett Dynasty Book 1)

by Kate Allenton

  “Pastor Michael?” I asked.

  “He lobbied for my release and is helping me and the other family to come to peace through counseling. I regret my actions to go along on that ride, and I have to live with my choices every day for the rest of my life. I didn’t do anything, and if you want, I’ll take a polygraph or give you my DNA or whatever will clear me. I’m innocent of whatever you think I did.”

  “Great. I’m going to take your toothbrush. I’ll leave a replacement in your mailbox,” I said, gesturing over my shoulder toward the bathroom.

  “Whatever, lady, just lock up when you’re done. I need to be with my sister.”

  I headed into the kitchen and grabbed two baggies. After stuffing a few cookies in one, I left some bills on the counter. I took the other bag into the bathroom and took Paul’s toothbrush.

  When I stepped back into the living room, Max had the remote in his hands pointing it at the TV. “I’m sure it’s time for your daily soap operas, but we don’t have time, Counselor.”

  “Unbelievable,” he growled and hit the volume, turning up the newscast. Dexter’s face appeared on the screen as the news reporter made her report.

  “A source close to the family has confirmed that Dexter Cline will be running for senate in the election. Threats against him and his family won’t stop him from serving his civic duty.”

  Pictures of the death threats were plastered across the screen and then moved to the corner as a picture of Amelia, Dexter, and Petunia filled the screen.

  “Son of a bitch.”

  Anger tore through my body as I grabbed my phone. It rang before I could even dial. I answered. “Yeah.”

  “I take it you’ve seen the news?” Ms. Delany asked.

  “Yep. Any idea who leaked the information?” I growled and headed for the door, uncaring if Max was following.

  Chapter 25

  “I know who leaked it,” Max said, and I slowed my stride.

  “Let me call you back.” I hung up on Ms. Delany.

  “Who and how do you know?” I clenched the cookies in my hand, crumbling them to bits.

  “That picture was from Christmas.”

  “Great, so it could be any one of her friends or Dexter’s.”

  He shook his head. “It’s not any of them.” Max hit the rewind on the DVR to the picture again and paused it. “Amelia did a photo shoot at Carter’s house. They took some pictures by the tree and some outside. My sister didn’t like the glare from the tree lights, so they used the outside ones for their Christmas cards. This one wasn’t ordered and never left the house.” Max jabbed his finger at the screen. “Amelia hated this one. Not only was she not looking at the lights but she was looking away from the camera.”

  “Of course, she didn’t use that one. It wasn’t perfect,” I growled. Why would she use a picture that wasn’t perfect? Her little OCD heart would be freaking the flip out if she’d seen the news. I headed outside, pulling out my phone. I dialed Rose.

  “What’s Amelia’s location?”

  “Her office,” Rose answered. “She’s been in there all day. She hasn’t even come out to eat.”

  “Neither she nor Petunia are to leave that house until I return. The bulls-eyes on their backs just got bigger.

  “Wait, what?” she asked.

  “Is Dexter still on the premises?” I asked, yanking open my car door.

  “He on a flight. He left hours ago,” she answered.

  “I’ll see you in fifteen minutes.” I hung up. Max was already standing at my open car door.

  “You think Amelia would put Petunia in harm’s way?” he asked.

  I slowly nodded, making no qualms about where I stood. “I do. I think it served her purpose and she knew that we wouldn’t let anything happen to her.”

  “You’re wrong, Ms. Bennett.”

  My brow rose at his choice of name. My suspicions had struck a nerve. “I hope you’re right, Counselor. You hired me to find a stalker and keep Amelia and Petunia safe, so let me do my job.”

  “What motive would Amelia have for leaking the information?” Max asked.

  “There are a dozen reasons, but the main one that sticks out is voter sympathy.”

  “You have no idea what you’re talking about. I should have never listened to Carter. We should have called the Feds.” Max’s gaze met mine as he stepped back, and I closed the door.

  Anger thrummed in my veins and swirled with hurt. Hurt that I was failing, hurt that I was feeling, and hurt that I was falling. I’d never experienced the three F’s before. My heart clenched at the thought as I started the car. I pulled out my phone and called Ms. Delany, leaving it on speaker as I threw my car into gear.

  She answered on the first ring. “I’m guessing you figured out your leak.”

  “You’re guessing right.” I sighed and tightened my fingers on the wheel. “I need a phone trace on Amelia Pierce’s cell phone and the home phone. I need to know what calls were made today and if there were any to be concerned with. I also need the same thing done for Dexter Cline.”

  “I already have our forensic department looking into it, dear, but Dexter is going to be an issue. With his announcement of running for office, getting our hands on his stuff will have to be aboveboard. We’re going to need a warrant or his authorization.”

  The ride across town was quicker than I expected. I parked across the street from Carter’s house and grabbed my phone and gun before crossing the street. I waved at the security guard in the gate house and jogged up the drive.

  The front door swished open and was held by one of the security guards. Max’s car came to a screeching halt behind me.

  I stomped through the house and met Rose’s gaze. “Is she in there?”

  “Yes,” Rose answered.

  I tossed open the office door without even knocking. Amelia was sitting on the plush leather couch and looked up. Her tear-stained face was red and blotchy. “I know what you’re going to say, so save your speech.”

  Her words were slurred, her eyes glazed. The liquor decanter and the crystal glass were empty. “Whose idea was it to leak that your fiancé is running for office?”

  “Mine,” Amelia said, trying to stand. She swayed before plopping back down.

  Max and Carter hurried into the room behind me, and I shook my head. “Utter one word, and I’m gone.”

  Max narrowed his gaze. Carter opened his mouth and then snapped it closed again. I returned my attention to Amelia.

  “I didn’t want to be responsible for ruining his career. I’ve canceled all of my appointments and am willing to stay out of the limelight, making myself a harder target if it helps to catch whoever’s doing this. I’ll do it because I love Dexter and I love Pet, but I won’t be the reason he doesn’t reach his dreams.”

  I grabbed an unopened bottle of water sitting on the tray across the room and handed it to her before moving the empty crystal decanter out of the way and sitting on the table in front of her.

  “You took the choice away from him?”

  “He would have given up his dreams to keep us safe,” she answered as a tear slid down her face.

  “So, you did it for him? You called the press and leaked the information using a picture taken near the Christmas tree, and then you sent them a copy of the death threats?”

  Her gaze shot up to mine. The fine lines between her eyes crinkled. “I did no such thing. That picture was horrendous.” Amelia rose, and I rose with her. She met my stare. “I didn’t send anyone the death threats either. All I did was tell them he was running for office.”

  I shared a look with Max. “Don’t lie, Amelia. Max told me about the picture.”

  Her gaze flew to Max, and she tilted her head. “I’m not lying, Ms. Bennett. I can prove it. I have those god-awful proofs. They were horrendous. Why would I show them to anyone?”

  Amelia walked to the desk, and I stopped her from opening the drawer. “If it wasn’t you, whoever it was might have left fingerprints. Let me.”


  I grabbed a tissue from the desk, and Amelia pointed out the drawer.

  “The proofs are all in that file,” she said, pointing to a file labeled, Unusable Christmas Proofs.

  I pulled out the file and flipped it open. Empty.

  “It was there.” Confusion clouded her face. “It was in there. I swear it.”

  “We believe you, Amelia,” Carter said.

  The blood drained from Amelia’s face and was replaced with a hint of green. Her hand flew to cover her mouth. “I’m going to be sick.”

  She ran from the room.

  So, if Amelia was responsible for the senate announcement, who in the hell would have submitted the death threats and that stupid picture? I’d assumed they all came from the same place.

  “Carter, can you get with the Chef Robin and have her bring in water, coffee, and crackers.”

  “Sure.”

  “Rose, can you get a forensic team to come collect this file and dust it and the desk for prints?”

  “Absolutely.” She nodded but didn’t turn to leave. Instead, she crossed the room and spoke in hushed tones. “No one but Amelia has been in this office all day. Whatever was in that file wasn’t taken with me outside the door.”

  I patted her arm. “I know. Where are Petunia and Cassandra?”

  “Cassandra, and Chef Robin took Petunia to the park for a picnic. Her cell service is spotty. I’ve called and messaged for her to return.”

  “The crappy cell service is hit or miss in that location,” I answered. “Does she know about the news report?”

  “Ms. Delany sent extra detail to her location. I don’t know if they’ve reached her yet or not. No one has checked in.”

  “Let me know when they have eyes on her.”

  Chapter 26

  Amelia returned to the room and sat on the couch. Carter returned carrying a tray.

  “Petunia wanted to share birthday cupcakes and cookies with her friends, but I know where she keeps the water and crackers.” He winked at Rose as he passed.

  He set the tray down and handed his sister a wet cloth. My cell phone rang, and I glanced at the caller ID. Ms. Delany was on the other end.

  “We have a problem,” she announced.

  “You don’t say,” I answered as I met Max’s gaze across the room.

  “She’s had a few incoming and outgoing calls today. Three to be exact.”

  “That should make things easier.” I swallowed and turned my gaze to Amelia. “Who to?”

  “The news reporter, which I’m guessing you already knew, and of course Dexter Cline, but there’s one you probably aren’t aware of.”

  “Who?” I asked.

  “Petunia’s ex-security guard, Johnny McIntire.”

  I let out a long sigh. I’d known Johnny liked to kiss girls. Maybe it had been Amelia that he’d been kissing that day. There was no easy way to ask. I stepped over to Max and rested my hand on his arm. “I need you and Carter to leave the room.”

  “Why?” he asked. “If it’s about Amelia or Petunia, we should stay.”

  “I have some hard questions to ask, and I can’t afford either of you trying to control her answers.”

  He shook his head and shoved his hands into his pockets. “No.”

  “If I can’t get to the truth, I can’t protect them.” I touched his arm. “Petunia’s life could depend on it.”

  “I can’t. She’s my sister, and this is creeping into my sector. If she’s done anything to incriminate herself, I need to be here as her legal counsel.”

  I pulled him out into the hallway. “You think she’s in on this?”

  “No, but I can see that you do. Just because she leaked out that Dexter was running for office doesn’t mean she’s guilty of anything else.”

  “She called Johnny McIntire today.”

  Max slid his hands out of his pockets. “Why?”

  “I need to ask her about it. He’s been known to flirt with the people that work here. It could get embarrassing to have her brothers listening in.”

  “That’s all you’re going to ask her?” he asked, holding my gaze.

  “I promise I’ll call you in if the subject changes.”

  Max stepped into the room. “Carter, you and I should take a walk.”

  “Now?” he asked, standing from his seat next to Amelia.

  “Yeah. We need to give Amelia some privacy with Gwen.”

  “Right,” he said, heading toward the door.

  I waited until the door shut then sat in a chair facing Amelia. “I hope it’s okay that I asked your brothers to leave.”

  “Sure. I’m just surprised they listened.”

  “Amelia, we pulled your phone calls today to make sure there weren’t going to be any extra surprises.”

  Her eyes widened, and she visibly swallowed, recapping her water bottle.

  “Then you know?”

  “I know you talked to the media, Dexter, and Johnny McIntire, so I have to ask; what is your relationship with Petunia’s ex-security guard?”

  “Johnny was constantly around. At one point early in Dexter’s and my relationship, I thought Dexter was cheating on me, and I was right.”

  “So, what? You did the same for revenge?”

  “God no,” she whispered. “Johnny was there for me. I was an emotional wreck when he brought me the proof about Dexter. One thing led to another, and we had an affair, but we were discreet. We tried to keep things away from home, although Johnny liked to corner me and kiss me. Most of the time we met at Carter’s cabin by the lake on Johnny’s days off.”

  “So, was it you he was kissing when I snuck into Petunia’s room?”

  “No. After I confronted Dexter, we worked through our issues. Well…or so I’d thought.” Amelia rose and walked to the window to stare outside.

  She opened a desk drawer and pulled out a file. She sighed before handing it to me. “Johnny sent me those two weeks ago. He warned me that a cheater never changes their stripes. He begged me to call off the wedding. He claimed he loved me, but what we had wasn’t love…”

  “It was just the thrill of the affair for you. Just sex?” I asked.

  A blush crept up on her cheeks. “How did you know?”

  “We’re both women,” I said, flipping through the photos of pictures taken outside a window. A man that looked like Dexter and a blonde woman were semi-undressed. His hand on her breast as they embraced in a kiss. There was a lot of heat in those pictures. Although something looked off that I couldn’t pinpoint. “And why did he call you today?”

  “He wanted me to meet him at the lake house in an hour. He said he had something important to tell me.”

  “And what was your answer?”

  “I ended things with him. I told him I loved Dex, that I was going to come clean about our affair and give Dex the same opportunity to tell me about her.” Amelia pointed to the photos. “I just prayed we could work things out.”

  Sympathy for the woman kept me momentarily speechless. That was going to be one of the hardest conversations of her life. “How did Johnny take it?”

  “He was devastated and then angry. He begged me to come to my senses and to see that he was the right man for me.”

  I rested my hand on Amelia’s arm. “I know this is hard, but I’m going to need to talk to him. He might have something to do with why the threats are aimed at Petunia and you, and not Dexter. He knows how to pull your heartstrings.”

  Amelia covered her hand with her mouth. “Oh God.”

  “I’ve got this,” I said, grabbing the file of pictures and heading toward the door. “Amelia, I need you to sit tight and stay off your phone until I talk to Johnny.”

  I pulled open the door to find Max and Rose in the hallway. I handed the file to Rose. “I need to know everything about those pictures, including whether they’re doctored. Send them to Delany and tell them I need them rushed.”

  “You’ve got it.”

  “And keep Amelia off the phone until you hear
from me.”

  “That’s not going to be easy,” Rose said.

  “I don’t care if you have to use a jamming signal on the entire house. No calls in or out for her.”

  “Understood.”

  I headed toward the front door, and Max followed. “Where to?”

  That was going to be a tricky conversation. “I’ll tell you on the way, but only if you can control yourself.”

  He nodded, and we climbed into my car. “Start talking.”

  “Amelia had an affair with Johnny,” I answered.

  “I’ll kill him,” Max growled.

  “Only after Johnny showed Amelia proof that Dexter was cheating on her too.”

  And with that I watched the fight leave Max’s body to be replaced with confusion. He had no snappy comeback.

  “You sure?” he asked.

  “Amelia confronted Dexter, and she says they worked through it. She thought it was a one-time deal, but Johnny sent her a file with questionable pictures.”

  “What the hell are these two doing getting married?” Max’s face turned to stone as the words left his lips.

  That was the question, wasn’t it? “It’s not our business. I understand wanting to protect the people you love. I think the call to the media was her attempt to try to hold onto Dexter.”

  “You think she sent them the death threats?”

  I shook my head. “No, I think the stalker did, and I believe whoever it is has been in Carter’s house.”

  “You think it’s Johnny?” he asked.

  “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.” I called the office and got Johnny’s address. “If you don’t think you can keep your cool, I need you to get out now and let me handle it.”

  “You think I’d hurt him?”

  “To protect your sister and Petunia, I know you would.”

  “How could you possibly know that?” he asked.