“Why? What do I have to do with this?” Heather asks, tightening her hand in mine.
“Your dad and Richard had a disagreement. Richard gave Grace a large sum of money and Richard wanted it for his campaign because your parents are broke. He came back to me and said Heather could have everything she wanted. To imagine all the benefits she would have if she was the Governor’s daughter. That we could take her places. All he wanted from me was a million dollars and after losing Grace, I was willing to do anything. I was tired of the restaurant life. I wanted out, so we traded. He got the chain; I got the title.”
“Dad,” Heather scolds him.
“My dad wanted you to run for office all those years ago?”
“Your dad is a bad businessman. He deals with Richard and his business is shady at best. He owed a lot of money to Richard.”
“Are you sure Richard cared for Grace? He wouldn’t sell her to say…the highest bidder?”
Ms. Thomas gasps. “No! How could you say such a thing?”
“Because when my dad wants something, he always finds a way to get it. And if Grace fought him off, there is one Thomas he hasn’t been able to sink his hands into yet. I bet he is going to find a way to pin it all on you too, Governor. And then he will take your spot, ruin you, ruin your family, and take all your money while he’s at it.”
“That’s why he has been around so much,” Heather says out of nowhere.
“What are you talking about?” Governor runs to the table and grips it. “What are you talking about? He has been a
t our house? When you’ve been alone?”
Heather nods. “I didn’t think anything of it, since you all were friends, but it looked like he was—”
“Casing it, wondering where your safe is? Wondering when Heather is alone to learn her schedule.”
“Heather is never alone. I make real fucking sure of that.” Governor Thomas slaps his hand on the table, then again, then again, until he roars. He is red-faced. “This doesn’t make since. Why would he kill Grace?”
“Maybe I have it all wrong, about the money, about the election, maybe he wanted Grace for himself. My parents aren’t faithful to each other and my dad has a habit of taking what he wants, even if he can’t have it,” I say. “I wanted to be upfront with you. Tonight, me and my guys are here working on the case. We thought Richard was more behind it, but he isn’t here.”
“What do you mean he isn’t here? He was supposed to be here an hour ago.”
“Governor Thomas, he never arrived at the airport according to my team. All points are leading to my dad.”
“It makes sense. I’m going to kill him. There is no way in hell he is getting Heather too.”
“Agreed,” I lean forward until my elbows are on the table. “I think I should take Heather with me to Trinidad. We have a safe house there. It’s actually where she was for a few days before she came here, but you launched an FBI investigation after being elected, and I knew if you found her with me you wouldn’t be happy.”
“I still don’t know if I can trust you. Everything you’re saying doesn’t make sense.”
“I know, but I’m asking you to take a leap of faith and remember if I ever treated Grace with disrespect. She was my friend. I was devastated to lose her. Heather…Heather has always the only woman I’ve ever loved. Your daughters mean more to me than anyone ever has. Please, let me take Heather to the Cliff House. We won’t leave tonight. It will be too suspicious. We will put on our masks, walk out of here drunk as if we have taken secret shots, and stumble our way to the elevator.”
“You’ll keep her safe? She’s our little girl. She’s all we have left,” Mrs. Thomas begs with her aged green eyes, the same as Heather’s.
“I’ll give my life if I have to, Mrs. Thomas. That I can swear on.”
“Go,” Governor Thomas states, holding out his hand to make the deal. “We will be in touch.”
“My team will be at your disposal, but don’t do anything stupid. Not tonight. He won’t go down easy.” I shake his hand, making the deal, and help Heather to her feet. “We will figure it out. If my dad is the rat, we will figure out a way to be the poison. Baby take your shoes off, act like you need my help to walk. You’re wasted.”
“If anyone will believe that. She’s never been a drinker,” her mom states.
“Psh, Grace and I drank your liquor all the time. You just never caught us.” Heather hops on one foot to take a heel off, then the other, and holds the stilettos in her hand. She leans against me, naturally red in the face from the champagne she has, then she giggles. “I wanna dance,” she pretends the slurs. “See? I can do the drunk girl.”
“Be careful. I don’t know if everything he is saying is true, but everything he says makes so much sense. I love you, sweetheart.” Timothy bends down and gives her a peck on the forehead and her mom comes around the table to do the same.
“Call us when you can,” her mom says. “We will say you went on vacation to Europe.”
“I’ll have Sebastian, the tech guy, call you with all the updates and information. Please, do not tell my dad you saw me or my mother. They will know I’m on to them because if there is one thing I hate to do, it’s coming home.”