Page 84 of Defending Love

“I’ll see you tomorrow at the meeting. Good night, Dani.”

I disconnected the call.

Stephen acted like he didn’t have access to the safe, but Damien said he did, that they explored it together. I could talk to Eli, but if I did, he would go back to suspecting Damien. I wanted with all my heart to believe my brother.

Reaching for another of Dad’s journals, I leaned back in my desk chair and began flipping through the pages of formulas. A loose page floated to my lap. Picking it up, I read what I believed to be my father’s handwriting. The text was dated a year ago in the spring. That was around the time of his heart attack. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop.

* * *

No one will read this. I’m not writing it for it to be read. I’m writing to calm myself. I figured out who Carol Webster is. Webster was her second husband’s name. She’s Carol Carpenter, David Carpenter’s mother. I can’t tell Marsha. She wouldn’t understand. Explaining it all to her would break her heart and I refuse to do that.

It wasn’t until Carol was in my office and she saw the photo of Sinclair Pharmaceuticals that I realized she knew the connection. It was her comment in passing that made me worried. She mentioned her grandchildren. The name coincidence was too strong. I called the only one who knew what happened, Phen. He’s never let me down.

He told me to play dumb.

How would I know a scientist who worked during my final years before retirement. Sinclair employs hundreds of people. Besides, there’s no proof that David’s illness was a result of his work for us. He’d been working for years with his father-in-law. Indianapolis University could easily be responsible.

That’s how I procured Olsen’s work, allowing David to continue the research. When Preston Ayers tried to stop our continuation of the research, I threatened him. I told him that if the research didn’t continue, David would go public with the safety exposure he’d experienced.

It would ruin their research department. They’d lose funding and endure a long investigation. Hell, it was on shaky ground already with the disappearances of their scientists.

My blood pressure is down.

I needed to get that off my chest.

Hell, we paid David to keep us out of his story. We paid money we didn’t have. It was worth it. Sinclair is stronger than ever. I saved it and I’d do it again.

* * *

My hands shook as I laid the page on the desk.

With shaky knees, I made my way across the hallway to Eli.

He looked up, concern showing in his green orbs. “What’s the matter?”

“I found something.”

“Fuck, you look pale.” He rushed to me, wrapping me in his arms.

“My dad,” I said as tears punctuated my words. “He…come look.”

Eli held my hand as we went back to my office. I lifted the piece of paper. “This fell out of one of the journals. Dad must have hidden it there. The date is a few days before his heart attack. I think this was the catalyst that caused it, the stress.” I leaned against my desk and handed him the small piece of paper.

His eyes widened as he read. Once he was done, he met my gaze. “I’d just confirmed her first husband’s last name. I hadn’t put it together with your David.”

“Damien didn’t have Dad killed. Stephen did.”

“Why do you say that?”

“In that note, he said he called Phen. That’s the name Mom said Dad called Stephen ever since college. Stephen would have known that Carol was David’s mother. He used her to help plant that fake note.”

“What does Stephen gain from your father’s death?”

“I want to ask him.”

Chapter

Thirty-Three

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