Page 62 of The Senator's Wife

“What can I get for you, Mrs. Montgomery?”

She handed Doris the list and the mug of tea. “Put this in a container with a lid and take it to the foundation and give it to Brianna. And make sure no one sees you do it.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She called Brianna. “Doris is going to bring you a container with our tap water. I want you to take it to Carlson Labs; I’ll text you their address. I’ve already called them. I’m concerned about heavy metals and they’re going to test it. Don’t take the lid off the container, it needs to stay pure.”

“Of course. I’ll take care of it right away.”

Sloane disconnected. She didn’t want Brianna or anyone else to know what she suspected—she didn’t need others thinking she was paranoid. The company told her they could have results to her in two or three days, and then she would know if she was being poisoned. In the meantime, she’d only pretend to drink anything Athena brought to her.

She inched her body to the edge of the bed and swung her legs over the side. She took her smartphone from the nightstand and went to the security company app. What Whit failed to realize was that she knew the alarm system better than he did. She didn’t need the control panel or any of the portable remotes to deactivate it. Punching in the code, she disarmed the alarm. With some effort, she managed to shift her body from the bed, and then stood still a few minutes as she caught her breath. She slowly walked out of her bedroom and down the hall to Athena’s room. She wanted to conduct a more thorough search to see if Athena was hiding poison somewhere. As she was turning the knob on Athena’s door, sheheard heels on the steps and the unmistakable cadence of Athena’s walk. Her heart pounding, she turned around and walked back to her room as fast as she could and shut the door quietly. She grabbed a book from the nightstand and sat in the chair by the window. She heard Athena’s hand on the door. The door alarm! She grabbed her phone and stabbed at the keys, but her nerves made her type in the wrong passcode. With a shaking hand she tried again and failed. The knob began to turn.

- 48 -

ATHENA

Athena had taken the morning off to take care of some personal matters, not to go to the agency as she’d told Sloane: a trip to the post office to retrieve her mail from a PO box, a stop at the pharmacy, and last a return to her condo to transfer items from her phone to the computer she kept there. Upon her return, Athena headed straight to Whit’s office to retrieve Sloane’s laptop. The thing was, she knew before even trying that she wouldn’t get in. She’d tried enough times while Whit was away and Sloane slept to know that it would be locked, and she was right. If she’d been able to pick the lock, she would have done so already, but Clint had informed her that the Bowley was unpickable by anyone but an expert. It wasn’t even possible to have a duplicate key made without authorization from the company. Athena smiled. Now she had a perfectly plausible reason to ask Sloane for the key. In her mind, she composed the text she would send to Clint to let him know of the opportunity that had fallen into their laps. Maybe that would calm him down and keep him off her back.

Sloane was not in bed but sitting in a chair when Athena entered the room. She hastily tucked her phone between the cushion and the arm of the chair, as if she were trying to hide it from Athena. A book sat on her lap.

“Interesting book?” Athena asked.

“What?” She glanced down to her side and then back at Athena. “Oh. Yes.” Sloane frowned. “I don’t see you holding my laptop. You didn’t find it in my husband’s office?”

“I couldn’t get in. His office is locked.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. This is getting more annoying by theminute. There’s a set of keys in the brown box on the high dresser. Would you bring them to me, please?”

Sloane took the ring of keys and removed one, holding it out to Athena. “This is the key to the office. Please bring my laptop to me as soon as you find it.”

“Of course. I’ll go down right now,” she said, taking the key in her hand. She held on to it as if it were a priceless diamond as she hurried down the stairs. Standing in front of the office door, she looked around, feeling suddenly foolish for being paranoid. She had every reason to be standing here with a key to unlock Whit’s office door. There was nothing to be afraid of. She inserted the key into the lock, but it didn’t fit. Not only would the key not turn, but it didn’t even go in all the way. She pulled it out and put it in again. Same thing. She wiggled it around as much as she dared, trying all sorts of configurations, but the door remained locked. Obviously, it was the wrong key. Damn! She wanted to stomp her foot in frustration.

Back upstairs and in Sloane’s room, she handed the key to her. “Are you sure you gave me the right key? This one doesn’t work.”

Sloane examined the key, turning it over in her hand. “Yes. It’s the right key. It should work.”

“Well, it doesn’t. I tried it every which way. It doesn’t even go in all the way. I was afraid it would break in the lock if I kept trying.”

Sloane’s face was pinched, her jaw clenched. Athena could see the wheels turning.

“Do you think he changed the lock?” Athena asked her.

“Of course not. He would have told me.”

Athena thought of the times Sloane had forgotten something she’d told her. “Do you think maybe he told you and it slipped your mind?”

She saw a flash of anger cross Sloane’s face, but in an instant a mask of composure replaced it. “No. But I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation.”

“Shall I put the keys—”

“I’ll take care of it,” Sloane said, interrupting her.

“Okay. Is there anything else you need right now?”

“No. Thank you.”

Athena moved to the door. “I’ll be in my room if you need anything.”

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