Page 95 of The One for Forever

“All right, Mr. Keller.” I clap a hand on his shoulder. “You said your piece. Now it’s time to go.”

His head snaps up. “But I was going to ask about hiring Bennett Security myself. What if Pete finds out that I snitched and sends his creepy online friends aftermethis time?”

I bark a laugh. “You’re kidding, right?”

I shove Derek unceremoniously out the door and lock it behind him. When I turn around, Quinn’s mouth is curved at the corner in a subtle smirk. I walk over to her. “You okay?” I ask, opening my arms.

She accepts my embrace, tucking her head beneath my chin. “It feels good to know at least part of it. I’m still pissed at myself for believing Pete. But then again, he was actually telling the truth about seeing Amber in that alley. I doubt he was the anonymous witness, though. He probably didn’t even know what I was talking about, but decided to roll with it.”

“He’s an opportunist. That seems to be Pete Diamond’s biggest asset.”

“True. And if he’d kept his mouth shut today, we probably couldn’t have done anything to him. He never thought Derek would rat on him. What bugs me the most is that we still have no proof that Amber was involved in the harassment campaign or manipulating the trial. Sounds like Pete kept her separate from it enough that she’ll skate, once again.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

“I think I’ll take that shower now. Still want to join me?”

“That’s incredibly tempting. But I need to let Angela know what Derek told us. She can run with it from there. Combined with the progress Angela already made today with Sam, the driver of the car who chased us, I think she’ll have enough for an arrest. I’d be shocked if Pete Diamond isn’t in custody by the end of tomorrow. He should be held responsible for everything that was done to you since he instigated it.”

“And hopefully he’ll be charged as an accessory to Thompson Hayworth’s murder as well. I’ll talk to Lana first thing in the morning.”

Quinn goes up for her shower while I draft a message for Angela. I would call, except it’s getting late, and she and Matteo have a little one. I wouldn’t want to wake their son.

Afterward, I make sure the house is secure and head upstairs to our bedroom. I love seeing Quinn already under the covers, hair damp and hanging over her shoulders, dressed in one of my T-shirts. She’s staring intently at something on her phone.

“Anything interesting?” I ask, starting to undress.

She blinks and hits pause on whatever she was watching. “I think I’ve got it. The last missing piece.”

“Then lay it on me.”

“I was thinking again about the anonymous witness. If it wasn’t Pete Diamond, I was back to my other two originalsuspects. Christian, Thompson’s son, and Kendall, Thompson’s assistant. I’d already scratched both of them off my list the day we saw them in Los Angeles. But I was wrong. It was definitely one of them.”

“How do you know?”

“I think the witness found out that Pete Diamond had seen Amber leave the spa that day. The witness thought about informing the prosecutors, but wasn’t ready to commit. Not until they’d explored every option. What if the witness stopped contacting me because he—or she—negotiated a more attractive deal?”

“Is this speculation? Or do you have a more specific theory in mind?”

Quinn holds up her phone. “Amber just posted a new video to her social feed, talking about what’s next for her now that she’s been acquitted. Take a look. See if you draw the same conclusion I did.”

I watch, and as I do, I realize what Quinn’s new theory must be.

A more attractive deal.

“Unbelievable,” I say. “So the witness is…”

Quinn nods. “But we have to prove it. And we just might be able to lay a trap for Amber too. I’ve got an idea.”

“I love your ideas.” I shuck off my jeans and slide into bed next to her, clad in just boxers. “I’m listening.”

She pulls up something else on her phone. A website. “An entertainment gossip site posted today about party planners bringing rental equipment to the Hayworth residence in the West Oaks hills. Rumor is that Amber’s hosting a blowout there this weekend to celebrate the end of the trial. A black-tie affair. Invite only. Do you think Sylvie could use those hacker skills of hers to manufacture an invite for us?”

“I’ll ask. I expect the answer is yes.”

Quinn tells me how she’s hoping this would work, and I make some suggestions and adjustments to her plan. “There’s only one more thing I need,” she says, “and this will be tricky. The passcode to Amber’s phone. But I have some ideas for that as well. We have a few days before the event to put it all together. What do you think?”

“I think you’re extraordinary.” I tug her close so we’re sharing the same pillow, facing one another. “Do you haveanyidea how sexy it is to watch you solve a case, counselor?”

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