“Yeah, I’m organizing your email. You didn’t get to a few of them. I’ll sort them by priority so you can hop on that first thing in the morning.” She still had ridiculous amounts of energy—even though it was past time for her to go home.
“Thanks, I don’t know what I would do without you,” I chuckled under my breath and walked to the elevator.
“You remember that when you’re giving out raises next year!” She laughed to herself and turned her head back towards the screen.
I always do…
My thoughts were on Melanie when I got to my car. I knew I was doing the right thing, but there was a hint of worry that I couldn’t let go of. Melanie did have a history with Jackson, and they must have cared about each other at some point because they did have a child together. Still, being a sperm donor didn’t mean that he was entitled to anything. If he put his hands-on Melanie, then he could do the same to her daughter. I hoped she would see that I was just trying to protect her if she found out why Jackson suddenly left town. I didn’t give a fuck if his family was loaded or had connections in the city. Those connections didn’t mean shit in Carson Cove. I was almost to the Pembroke when my phone lit up with a text message from Bryant. I waited until I was in the parking lot of the hotel before I picked up my phone.
Bryant: Hey, can you swing by my place?
Jon: I’m taking care of something right now. Can it wait?
Bryant: No, I figured out the next clue. You’re gonna want to see this.
Jon: Okay, I’m on my way.
Melanie’s ex had gotten a temporary reprieve, but it wouldn’t last long. If Bryant had figured out the next clue, then I had to give it priority. I could deal with Jackson later. Whoever was behind the Carnation Club invitations had threatened to bring some sort of chaos to Bryant’s wedding, and I really didn’t want my shit to impact him. He had done too much for me after Mary filed for divorce. If it wasn’t for him, my downward spiral would have probably gone a lot faster—and I would have been a sorry excuse for a human before his engagement party. Melanie had become a light in that darkness, and whether she realized it or not, she was a big part of the reason I wasn’t going to hit rock bottom. She gave me hope.
“Thanks for coming.” Bryant opened the door before I made it up the steps.
“Of course.” I nodded quickly. “If there’s a way we can stop whoever is sending these messages before the wedding, then I want to do it.”
“I’ve been reading this…” Bryant pulled the last message out of his pocket. “Initially, I figured they were going to try and do something at my wedding, but I don’t think that’s the plan.”
“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow. “Chaos seems—ominous.”
“Yeah, but it says to look where chaos hangs high.” He turned and pointed at his Picasso. “What does that look like to you?”
“People have often referred to his paintings as chaotic…” I nodded in understanding. “Do you really think that’s it?”
“It has to be.” Bryant turned back towards me. “You know what this means, right?”
“We can catch them.” I smiled and walked closer to the painting. “It’s bolted down—but there is enough space here. Someone could slip one of those envelopes behind it if they tried.”
“Yeah, I already had it removed and confirmed there was nothing there before I called you.” Bryan walked up beside me. “We’re going to get this fucker—then we can figure out what the hell they want.”
“Perfect,” I chuckled to myself. “We have the advantage now.”
“I’ll get a couple of Craven’s guys to watch the painting during the ceremony without being too obvious. I want to give whoever this is plenty of rope to hang themselves.” Bryant patted me on the shoulder. “Then you can decide if you want to date them or not…”
“Fuck that…” I shook my head back and forth. “This isn’t high school anymore. It might have been cute back then but it’s not anymore. I still think Alexis Devereaux is behind this—somehow.”
“I don’t know,” Bryant growled under his breath. “I called the warden at the prison. He said that Alexis hadn’t had a single visitor since she got locked up. We may be looking in the wrong place. I’m sure she would love nothing more than to ruin my wedding, but she would need help…”
“We’ll find out who is behind it soon enough. We’ve got an advantage now—they don’t know you figured out the clue.” I nodded, and a smile spread across my face.
We’ve got you now. This game is going to end real soon.
I felt better about the Carnation Club since we had an advantage, but I had one more problem to take care of before I could go home. I drove back to the Pembroke Hotel and parked my car near the entrance. I didn’t want to raise suspicion, so I went to the front counter and asked for a room on Jackson’s floor. I knew the manager, but he wouldn’t just roll over and let me run roughshod through his hotel, even if I had a good reason to do so. I didn’t even bother to go to my room once I arrived at my floor. I walked down the hallway until I found room 142 and paused when I saw that the door was slightly ajar.
This is going to be easier than I thought.
“Hey, Jackson.” I pushed the door open and walked in. “We need to have a talk.”
“Sir?” a woman’s voice called out, and a maid poked her head out of the bathroom. “You must be lost; we haven’t finished cleaning this room yet.”
“My apologies…” I took a step back. “My—friend is staying in this room.”