“What about Congressman Welsh’s wife?” Bonnie said. “Do you think she should have known?”
Hazel blinked. “She did know.”
Ashley held out her hand. “Let me get this straight. Stephanie Welsh knew about her husband’s affair with Jasmine, but she didn’t say anything?”
Hazel nodded. “Jasmine said it was a marriage of convenience. That’s why I thought Mrs. Welsh had lots of money. She wanted to be a congressman’s wife and her husband could make that happen. Why else would they stay together?”
Ashley had no idea, but she had to find out.
“I really need to leave,” Hazel said as she looked at her watch. “I hope Congressman Welsh gets everything he deserves.”
Hazel left the café, and Bonnie shook her head. “Were we ever that naive?”
“Probably.” Ashley sighed. “It looks like we’ve opened a hornet’s nest of issues. Where do we start?”
“At the top,” Bonnie said decisively. “If Stephanie Welsh knew about her husband’s affair, she wouldn’t have liked the story in the paper today. Jasmine sounded like a saint. How about we track Stephanie down and find out what she thinks about Jasmine Alfredo?”
Ashley picked up the bill. “I think you’re enjoying this more than you should.”
“Aren’t you?”
Ashley frowned. She wasn’t, and that worried her more than Congressman Welsh’s fraud and adultery.
***
Matthew walked into the foyer of the Madison Hotel. After a six hour flight from Bozeman, it was good to stretch his legs and clear the airplane fog from his brain.
Before he’d left home, he’d called Jason to tell him what he was doing. Within half an hour, he had the name of the hotel where Ashley, Bonnie, and Harry were staying.
It was just as well the taxi driver knew where to go. Matthew hadn’t been to New York in years, and as they drove through the crowded streets, he could see why.
Even at ten o’clock at night, the bright lights, noise, and never-ending line of yellow, honking taxis were enough to give him a headache. He didn’t know how Ashley lived here, how she managed to think straight with eight million people living in such a small area.
“Good evening. Can I help you?”
He pulled his suitcase closer to the registration desk. “Hi. I’m Matthew Gray. I booked a room this morning.” He took a sheet of paper out of his pocket and handed it to the woman behind the counter. “Here’s my booking number.”
“Thank you, Mr. Gray. Let me find your room number.”
The elevator bell pinged and Matthew glanced over his shoulder. As soon as he had his room key, he’d call Ashley. She didn’t know he was here and he wasn’t sure how she would react.
“We have a room ready for you on the twenty-fourth floor. A newspaper will be delivered to your door each morning. There is a complimentary gym on the tenth floor and if you’d like to use room service, a menu is available on the desk in your room.”
“Thanks.” Matthew took the plastic key card and turned it over.
“The elevators are behind you. You’ll need to swipe your card before pushing the button for the twenty-fourth floor. Would you like a staff member to take your luggage upstairs?”
“No. I’m okay.”
“Enjoy your stay. If you need anything, our hotel concierge will be happy to help.”
Matthew stepped out of the way as a group of people headed toward the registration desk. The sooner he found his room, the faster he could contact Ashley.
He just hoped she hadn’t moved from the hotel.
***
Ashley opened a takeout container of crispy fried chicken and handed it to Bonnie. Harry had just arrived with dinner, and they were all exhausted. “No one’s talking about Congressman Welsh’s affair except Hazel. Someone else must have known what was going on.”
Harry sat on the chair in her room and sighed. “They’re closing ranks.”
“Unless it wasn’t true.” Bonnie poked one of her chopsticks through a piece of chicken.
Ashley opened a container of fried rice and tipped some into a bowl. “Why would Hazel lie?”
“She stopped working for Congressman Welsh. Maybe she didn’t resign. Maybe she was fired.” Bonnie held her chopstick in the air. “If the affair did happen, Congressman Welsh’s wife wouldn’t want to be embarrassed, especially if she has political aspirations. Stephanie could be the person stopping everyone from talking.”
“Or it could be Jasmine,” Harry added. “She had an affair with a married man who was a senior board member, a criminal, and a congressman.”
Ashley looked at her two closest friends. Bonnie had gone with her to see Stephanie Welsh. A lot of good that had done. Stephanie didn’t want to see anyone, especially the reporter who had uncovered her husband’s illegal activities.
Harry had finished his contract work, then joined them in the late afternoon. They’d tracked down more employees from The Reaching High Foundation, but no one would speak to them.
“So what does that leave us with?” Ashley asked.
Bonnie opened a bottle of juice. “A congressman who has been arrested, a wife who’s keeping silent, and a socialite who’s charities are under investigation. Oh, and an affair we can’t verify.”
Ashley frowned. “Is that someone’s cell phone?”
“It’s mine,” Bonnie said as she reached for her bag. “I put it on vibrate.”
While Bonnie was talking on the phone, Ashley found her file on Jasmine. She’d already identified the times when Congressman Welsh and Jasmine had been at the same social events. They had Hazel’s statement, including her belief that Stephanie Welsh knew about her husband’s affair.
Asking the people closest to Jasmine and Stephanie about Congressman Welsh’s relationships had gotten them nowhere. There had to be an easier way of knowing if Jasmine was as innocent as she kept telling everyone.
Bonnie put her phone down. “We’ve got a visitor.”
Harry stopped eating. “No one should know we’re here.”
“This person does. Matthew is in the hotel.”
Ashley’s eyebrows rose. “Matthew Gray?”
Bonnie nodded. “Before you get all righteous and annoyed, just remember that he helped you out of a sticky situation.”
“I’m not annoyed, just surprised. Why is he here?”
“You can ask him yourself in a few minutes. He’s on his way down from the twenty-fourth floor.”
“He’s staying at the hotel?”
“It sounds like it,” Bonnie said. “It’s just as well we bought too much takeout.”
Ashley looked at the containers of food covering her desk. Making sure Matthew had something to eat was the least of her worries.
***
Matthew knocked on the door of room 1411. He’d tried calling Ashley’s cell phone, but it kept going to voicemail. Out of desperation, he’d called Bonnie’s number. It was just as well Ashley had left her friend’s phone number with him in case there was an emergency.
The door opened and Ashley stood in front of him. “Hi.”
Heat stained her cheeks. “Hi. You didn’t have to come all this way.”
“Yes, I did. I tried calling you, but I couldn’t get through.”
“The FBI doesn’t want me to use the phone Harry gave me. I bought a new one today.” She took a step toward him. “Why did you come to New York?”
“I’m worried about you.”
Ashley’s eyes softened. “What about the ranch?”
“Nathan’s employed another ranch hand while I’m gone. I read your article about Jasmine. It was good.”
“Maybe too good.”
“What do you mean?”
“Jasmine may not be the person we think she is.” She waved him into her room. “Come in. We’re planning tomorrow’s schedule.”
Bonnie and Harry were sitting in her room with Chinese takeout in their hands. His stomach rumbled when he saw the food.
A
shley smiled and passed him a bowl. “Help yourself.”
Harry stood and held out his hand. “I’m Harry Kingston and this is Bonnie Adams.”
“Hi. I’m Matthew.” He shook Harry’s hand and smiled at Bonnie. He’d seen photos of them in the file that Jasmine had brought to the ranch. The man with his arm around Ashley was no longer a mystery. It was Harry.
He would have recognized Bonnie anywhere. With her bright red hair and dimples, she looked exactly like the photo he’d seen.
Ashley was watching him. “Bonnie said you want to help us.”
“Now that the stories about Gareth Welsh and Jasmine have been published, every two-bit reporter will be after a new angle on the story. I don’t know much about being a reporter, but I’d make a useful bodyguard.”
“Anyone wanting to write another story will need a lot more luck than we’ve had,” Bonnie said. “No one’s talking except a woman who said Jasmine was having an affair with Congressman Welsh.”
Matthew nearly dropped his bowl. “If she was having an affair with him, he must have said something about the money.”
“That’s what we think,” Harry said before he ate a pork ball.
Bonnie nodded. “But we need proof. We also heard that Stephanie Welsh, the congressman’s wife, knew about the affair.”
“How are you going to prove that?” Matthew asked.
“We don’t know.” Ashley sat beside Bonnie.
“Do you need proof?”
Bonnie turned to Ashley.
“Yes we do,” Ashley said firmly. “I won’t write a story that isn’t accurate.”
Harry reached for a glass of juice. “What about Jasmine’s story? She twisted the truth to suit her own agenda.”
“And I fell for it.” Ashley sounded disappointed.
Matthew sat on the last empty chair in the room. “If it’s any consolation, I believed her as well.”
Ashley looked at her dinner. “I don’t want to make the same mistake again.”
A heavy silence fell over the room.
“Mistakes are part of what makes us human.” Matthew kept his voice low. “Everyone makes mistakes.”
“I need to report the truth.”
“You once told me that the truth depends on whose shoes you’re wearing.” He watched her face, hoping she remembered the words she’d said so many times. But unlike three years ago, Ashley was pinning her entire career on this story. Any false reporting could ruin the reputation she was determined to earn.
Bonnie handed him a glass of juice. “Tomorrow we’re wearing Stephanie Welsh’s shoes.”
Matthew sipped the juice. “How are we going to do that?”
“I don’t know. Do you have any ideas?”
“My sister Sally can be the most secretive person I know. If I want to know what’s happening in her life, I ask her husband. Does Stephanie have a sister or friend that she spends a lot of time with?”
Ashley left her takeout on the table. “I think her sister lives close to Stephanie’s apartment.” She opened one of the folders that he recognized from the ranch. “Here it is…her sister’s name is Ann-Marie Dimitri. She lives a couple of blocks away from Stephanie.”
“If Ann-Marie cares about her sister, she won’t tell anyone what she knows,” Harry said.
Bonnie grinned. “True, but sometimes the most innocent question can spark an interesting answer. I wonder if Ann-Marie goes anywhere for coffee in the morning.”
“Maybe we could find out,” Ashley said slowly.
Harry rolled his eyes. “Not another stake-out. Last time I did one of those I was stuck with Bonnie for three hours.”
“Hey!” Bonnie said. “Who bought you jelly donuts?”
“You watch too many police shows on TV.”
“It didn’t stop you from eating them.”
Harry crossed his arms. “I was hungry.”
Matthew pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll call Jason. He might be able to find out if Ann-Marie has a car registered in her name.”
“Or her husband’s.” Ashley turned the folder around. “This is his name.”
Bonnie rubbed her hands together. “I’ll go on the Internet and find a map of the streets around her home. There must be somewhere we could sit to watch her apartment building. If she leaves, Harry could follow her in his SUV.”
“I can only help you until nine-thirty.”
Bonnie patted his arm. “That should be more than enough time.”
Matthew held his phone to his ear and waited for Jason to answer. If Stephanie’s sister was difficult to find he had another idea that might work.
The hardest part would be getting Ashley to agree.
CHAPTER TEN
After waiting in a coffee shop with Matthew for two hours, Ashley was almost certain Bonnie and Harry hadn’t been able to talk to Ann-Marie.
Stephanie’s sister had driven her car out of her apartment building at eight o’clock that morning. Harry and Bonnie had followed her to one of the most prestigious schools in Manhattan. Instead of dropping her children off and leaving, she’d stayed at the school.
Somehow, Harry and Bonnie had followed her inside the building, but they hadn’t called to give her an update.
Ashley stacked Matthew’s empty cup with hers and left their napkins on the saucers. “We can’t waste any more time here.”
Matthew looked up from his laptop. “Where do you suggest we go?”
“Back to The Reaching High Foundation. Hazel, the woman we spoke to yesterday, works there. She said other staff knew about Jasmine and Congressman Welsh’s affair. Maybe she’s changed her mind and is ready to tell us their names.”
“From what you’ve said, that seems like a long-shot.”
Ashley closed the lid on her laptop. “It’s the best I can do.”
“Maybe not.”
“What do you mean?”
“Hazel knows you and Bonnie. She doesn’t know me.”
“You’re going to ask her about Congressman Welsh’s affair?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“You’re not a reporter.”
“Exactly. That’s why I’m the best person for the job. If it doesn’t work, we’ve lost nothing. At least Hazel won’t call security and have me escorted out of the building.”
“You hope she doesn’t.” Sending Matthew into The Reaching High Foundation would be dangerous. If Jasmine saw him, they’d all be in trouble.
“It won’t work,” she said.
“Why not?”
“You’ll need an appointment. They don’t let everyone who walks in off the street into their offices.” Ashley leaned her elbows on the table. “You’d also need a reason to be there.”
“I’ve already thought of that.”
Ashley sighed. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“I learned from the best. When we were in Bozeman, you showed me the project plan for the youth center. They only completed half of it. What if I tell Hazel I’d like to finish the project?”
“We don’t know if Hazel is working on the youth center project.”
Matthew shrugged. “The Foundation is being investigated and all new projects have been put on hold. Hazel might be happy to listen to me if there isn’t much else for her to do.”
“I don’t know. We’d have to write a proposal and include a draft project plan and a budget.”
“I know a reporter who could whip something up in under an hour.”
Ashley bit her bottom lip. “It would have to look professional.”
Matthew nodded. “I was thinking of calling my company Gray Enterprises. I could be a wealthy rancher from Montana wanting to make a difference for inner-city kids.”
“You are a wealthy rancher from Montana.”
“Not that wealthy, but Hazel doesn’t know that. I like kids and can see the benefit of a youth center. My cover is about as authentic as you’ll get.”
“There’s only one problem. Hazel will ask how you knew that the yo
uth center project isn’t finished.”
Matthew turned his laptop around and pointed to her first news story. “I read about it on the Internet. It upset me to know that the kids won’t be able to enjoy all the services and resources promised to them.”
“It might work.” Ashley opened her laptop and found a template for a project proposal. “We’d need to be realistic, but add something a little special to make Hazel want to talk to you.”
“I’ve finished a draft budget.”
Her mouth dropped open. She was even more impressed when she saw Matthew’s spreadsheet. “When did you do that?”
“I finished it about ten minutes ago.”
She shook her head. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Write the best project proposal Hazel has ever seen.”
Matthew’s grin caught Ashley off guard. She took a deep breath and started to type.
If Hazel refused to see Matthew after reading this proposal, she wasn’t the talented employee Jasmine said she was. And once she met the rancher from Montana, Hazel would have to have steel running through her veins not to be blown away by his charm, just like Ashley had been.
***
Matthew walked into The Reaching High Foundation building. His boots clicked against the marble floor, echoing in the vast chamber. No one looking at the limestone columns or leather chairs would guess that the Foundation was in serious financial trouble.
He tipped his cowboy hat at the receptionist. “My name is Matthew Gray. Would you let Hazel Lewis know that I’m here for my two o’clock appointment?”
The receptionist’s eyes widened. Matthew figured she hadn’t seen too many cowboys in New York.
“Certainly, Mr. Gray. If you’d like to take a seat, I’ll call Ms. Lewis.”
He sat on one of the chairs behind him. He took off his hat and opened the folder he’d brought with him. Ashley had written a project proposal that even he was excited about.
After they’d finished writing the proposal, he’d gone back to the hotel and changed into his best pair of jeans and button-down shirt. He hadn’t brought any fancy clothes with him, but he figured it couldn’t hurt to look his best.
The Promise (The Protectors Book 4) Page 12