Such a Beautiful Family: A Thriller(30)

Downstairs, on the bottom floor, beneath myriad glittering chandeliers hanging from tall, ornate ceilings, she waited in line to register for the conference. It was early and people were still setting up.

“What company are you with?”

It took Nora a second to realize the woman behind her was talking to her. She turned around. The woman was young, five foot three, with red hair pulled back tightly into a neat little bun, emphasizing her big green eyes.

“Hi. I’m Rhonda Ziglar.” She held out her hand. “I work for FixTex. We aim to improve the way people work.”

Nora smiled and shook her hand. “I’m with IMPACT. We’re based in California. I need to come up with a tagline.”

“IMPACT,” Rhonda repeated. “IMPACT as in Jane Bell?”

Nora would have been pleasantly surprised that the first person she met had heard of IMPACT, if not for the wide-eyed look and the obvious concern in the young woman’s voice. “Do you know Jane?”

Rhonda wrinkled her nose. “Is she here?”

“No. She’s been detained.”

“But she’s coming?”

“I think so.”

Rhonda clicked her tongue. “I need to learn to keep my mouth closed.”

“Well, you have to tell me now,” Nora said with a smile. “I’ve been working with Jane for about three months.”

“Well, if you promise not to mention it to her.”

Nora nodded.

“After last year’s conference, Jane Bell became known as a honey badger. Fearless, unwavering, and ferocious.”

“Fearless and unwavering fit her to a T,” Nora said. “That’s how she got me to leave my position at another company to come work for her.”

“You’re right. I never thought of it that way. The honey badger is considered one of the fiercest animals on the planet. I can see how those characteristics would make for a passionate and driven businessperson.”

“What did she do exactly to get your attention?” Nora asked.

“She recruited the most sought-after client at the conference.”

“Isn’t that the purpose of these shows?”

“I suppose so, but apparently she used unethical tactics to get the customer.”

“How so?”

Rhonda looked around the room, then lowered her voice. “After discovering that a competitor, Levi Hale with PowerWare, was to meet with Robert Gillespie, she left a message at the front desk telling Levi that his scheduled meeting time with Gillespie had been changed. Levi did not show up at the scheduled time, but Jane did. She wined and dined Gillespie, even took him to her room for the night.”

Nora was starting to feel uncomfortable. Robert Gillespie was IMPACT’s largest client. His company was based in San Diego, but she had yet to meet him.

“On the last night, there’s always a get-together,” Rhonda rolled on, “you know, for everyone to mingle before leaving. By then, of course, Levi Hale had caught wind of what happened, and when he saw Jane, he went ballistic. Made quite a scene. Jane walked away with her head held high, but not before being called every name in the book.”

Nora felt ashamed for asking questions and giving the woman an audience. It was nothing more than gossip.

“But that’s not all,” Rhonda said.

Nora waited, figuring she’d rather hear it all from Rhonda, rather than someone else later.

“Days after Levi returned home, he began receiving odd photos, threatening notes that appeared to be written in blood. It gives me chills to think of it. The police were unable to trace the whereabouts of the sender, but—”

Nora raised a hand like a traffic cop. “You’re not insinuating Jane Bell might be responsible, are you?”

Rhonda’s eyes grew even bigger. “Not me! I’m just relaying what I heard.”

“But you don’t know if it’s true?”

Rhonda blushed. “No.”

“It’s all hearsay, Rhonda. I’m going to forget everything you told me, and I suggest you do the same. I’ve got to run. I’ll have to register later.” Nora walked away, feeling irked. Gossip was such a waste of time; never mind that it could destroy someone’s reputation.

The Louvre wouldn’t be open for hours. She was hungry and could use a cup of coffee. The woman at the front desk gave her walking directions to a café. Outside, the morning air was brisk. She noted the time. It was 6:00 a.m., which meant it was 9:00 p.m. back home. She ordered coffee and toast, found a table, then made the call.





CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Trevor returned home from school to an empty house. After closing the door behind him, he stood in the entryway and simply collected his breath. He peeked through the peephole just to make sure the dark car he’d seen outside his school hadn’t followed him. Today was the second time he’d seen the same car with the same man wearing a baseball cap. When he looked at the man, he swore the guy had been looking right at him before he quickly looked away.

Trevor felt better knowing he was safe at home. He clapped his hands. “Tank! I’m home!”

He smiled at the familiar sound of Tank rushing down the stairs, his nails clicking against the wood floor before he slid across it, all wagging tail and slobber.

“Where is everyone, Tank?” The dog happily followed Trevor into the kitchen. There was a note from Dad on the countertop: Hailey is at cheer practice. I had a meeting to go to. I should be home by six. Love, Dad.