Back Where She Belongs(47)

She let his words sink in, as painful as that was. “You’re right. It could have been a tech at Wharton who put it in,” she said softly. “Tony mentioned that, too.” She herself had seen batteries being installed in the testing area. “I did assume the worst.”

Dylan blew out a breath. “So let’s find out who did the installation and whether or not the part was faulty.”

“For that, I have to get the insurance company to release the car so we can have the part tested.”

“If we can find the serial number in any of the Tesla photos I took, we could check it against the list of units Wharton has reported as bad.”

“So, you’ll still help me?”

“We both want the truth, Tara. If the unit was bad, if it contributed to the accident, then Ryland Engineering has to admit fault and deal with the consequences.”

“I hadn’t thought that far,” she said. That could be catastrophic for Dylan’s company. The insurance agency would likely sue Ryland for damages. When it came out that a Ryland part had killed the CEO of Wharton Electronics, there would be brutal media coverage. Dylan stood ready to do the right thing. Pride filled her. He was a good, honorable man.

“We need to look into this quietly,” she said. “We can’t afford any rumors until we know the whole story.”

“Jeb is willing to sit down with Dale and me,” he said. “I was on the phone with him when you got into it with my father.”

“You could check for the serial number while you’re there, right? Without raising eyebrows?”

“Should be easy enough. We’ll be looking at their lists anyway, looking for patterns.”

“If I come along, say, as a facilitator, I should be able to casually ask about any installation on my father’s car.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Dylan said.

“Yeah.” She had a flicker of the good feeling about working with him. “And I want you to know that if there is a problem, if Ryland Engineering is at fault, I’ll help you with a crisis plan to deal with the fallout.”

“If you’re as good as I think you are that should help. We’re not going down without a fight, that’s for sure.”

“I’ll do all I can to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“I know you will.” They held each other’s gaze for a long moment, saying goodbye to what they’d shared. The next time they saw each other, their intimacy would be gone.

“I’ll check the pictures for the serial number. I want to look for the bumper at the crash site, just in case. There was a collision, for sure. We still need to find out who hit the car.”

“We’ll touch base later then?” Dylan said. “Pin down the details before we meet at the Wharton test lab?”

“Sure.”

“You’ll need to pick up your things. There’s a key under the back mat.”

“Oh. Right.” He wanted all signs of her gone when he returned home. She didn’t blame him. “I want to say goodbye to Duster.” It was for the best. They were done with each other.

“Yeah.” He swallowed hard, then blinked, clearly fighting emotion.

The sight made tears spring to her eyes, but she was not going to cry. Why cry when you were doing what had to be done?

* * *

“CAN I TALK to you a minute?” Victor stopped Dylan in the hall on his way to have it out with his father.

“Sure,” he said, forcing himself to focus on Victor. “If it’s about the meeting, I’m going to take Dale over to Wharton and actually look at the test data, so—”

“It’s not that.” The man looked almost sheepish. “I thought you should know I’m looking at making a move.”

“A move?”

“Taking another job. There’s a plant in Phoenix that needs a manager. It’d be a lateral move, but it’s a good opportunity.”

Dylan stiffened. He’d counted on Victor to fill his shoes. “We talked about you taking over when I leave.”

“I appreciate the thought, but...” He fidgeted with his cap, finally looking at Dylan. “Hell, we both know that’s not going to happen. You and your dad are...” He interlocked his fingers and tugged, as if they wouldn’t pull apart.

“It’s not like that. I have a plan. Dad knows I’m leaving.”

“This is your company. It’s got your name on it. Your father depends on you. He brushes me off like a fly.”

He’d seen his father be brusque with Victor, that was true. “Dad can be difficult. Abbott’s death has been hard for him, I think.”

“What’s hard for him is you threatening to leave once production ramps up. He’s been throwing wrenches—figuratively—left and right. You don’t know that?”

He stared at Victor, a man he’d always trusted. Could that be true? The idea made room for itself in his head.

“Think about it. That was when he started harping at the line workers, throwing shots when we had our management meetings. All that crap about how we need a new direction, that we have tunnel vision, no imagination.”

“That was about the Wharton contract, the specs being too tight.”

“He was fine with the contract at first. He didn’t start bitching until you told him you wanted to leave.”

Dylan thought back. The first argument he could recall was not long after he’d broken the word to his dad. “Damn. You’re right.” The pieces snapped together. How had he missed that?

Still, despite what Tara said, his father wasn’t a conniving person. “He might not even realize that’s what he’s doing,” Dylan said.

“Hard to know. He shoots from the hip.”

“I need to talk with him, that’s for sure. Can you give me a week before you take the job? I don’t want to lose you if we can straighten this out.”

“Yeah. I told them I’d need some time. I’d like to stay, but not if I have to fight for authority, Dylan.”

“I understand.”

“Good luck.” Touching the edge of his cap in a quick salute, Victor turned and left.

Dylan stood for a few seconds, stunned that he’d missed something so obvious. Victor thought he and his father were locked together, that Dylan would never leave the company.

He’d already concluded he’d have to stay longer to get his father back on track after Abbott’s death.

He’ll always need you more. That’s what Tara had said.

Troy Waller had told him point-blank at lunch that he was running for mayor after all. I can’t wait around for you, he’d said. Troy didn’t believe Dylan would quit Ryland Engineering, either.

Dylan felt like an idiot. He had been blind. Not to the extent Tara claimed, but blind enough. Damn.

There would never be the perfect time to leave. The sailing would never be smooth, the ground would never be solid. Dylan had to go anyway.

Frankly he knew his father wasn’t having much fun working with him, either. They argued constantly. If Victor was ever to get the respect he deserved, then Dylan had to get out of the way so the two men could figure out a working relationship. He took a deep breath and headed into his father’s office. They had a lot to talk about.

His father stood at the window. When he turned, Dylan noticed his hand was wrapped. Then he saw the broken glass on the desk. He’d smashed the picture of him and Abbott. The man definitely had a childish streak.

“You back to apologize?” his father asked.

“No, I’m not.”

“She poisoned your mind that much? How could you think that I would harm Abbott? For all his crimes, he was my friend.” His voice dropped and went hoarse. “Good God, son.”

Dylan would not soften. Not now. “I know you didn’t put the part in his car. I told Tara that. It doesn’t change the fact that you put them in my car and Candee’s without telling us. You risked our lives, Dad.”

“That’s bullshit. There’s nothing wrong with those parts.”

“One of them was in Abbott’s Tesla. If it’s faulty, then it contributed to the accident. And if it was, then Ryland Engineering is in big trouble. Tara and I are going to find out the truth.”

“Tara? She doesn’t want the truth. She wants to destroy us! You don’t see that? Her mother’s probably in on it, too.” His eyes looked wild. “She called me that night, you know. Said she needed to talk to me, that it was important that she talk to me first. She never showed.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this?”

“Why did it matter? I never saw the woman.” His father’s eyes blazed. “That’s not the first time Rachel Wharton said one thing and did the other.”

“What does that mean?”