Nic joined Karyn and Thomas in the hotel hallway. Both of them looked at her quizzically. She shrugged.
They left the hotel, picked up the car, and drove back to the Mallory and Turner offices in silence. As Karyn’s assistant unloaded the car, Thomas led the way into the M and T conference room. He closed the door with a click and turned to Nic.
“What the fuck was that?” Nic knew the gruffness in his voice came from his concern for her.
Usually, Karyn could be counted on to hold Thomas in check, so her echo, “Yeah, what WAS that all about?” surprised Nic.
“I knew Max’s legal name was James Maxfield Hayes. I saw it on all the legal documents... But, I’ve only ever heard him called Max.”
“And?” Karyn asked.
Nic pulled out one of the rolling chairs and spun it around so that she could sit. “I think...” She sounded reedy, so she started over. “I think that we just met Daniel’s CeeCee.”
Karyn pulled out another chair and spun it so she could face Nic, knee to knee. “So, let me get this straight... You think that Courtney is Daniel’s friend, CeeCee? The one who’s been his best friend since 7th grade?”
Nic nodded, unhappily. “I’ve been running things over and over. The timeline of her losing her husband fits when Max died. The only difference is that Daniel called CeeCee’s husband Jamie.”
“And you never told him about your relationship with Max or the Secret Stash?” Karyn looked at her shrewdly.
Nic shook her head. “I was going to tell him the next day, but CeeCee called first thing in the morning and the Jag was vandalized. Since then, he’s been out of town. I didn’t want to tell him on Skype.”
“So, what are you going to do about it?” Karyn asked the question that Nic had been running over and over in her mind since they left the board meeting.
“The last thing I want to do is put him in the position of having to choose. I know how I’d feel if someone told me it was him or you two.”
Karyn scooted forward and put her arms around Nic. “Oh, sweetie.”
Who knew... Max was Jamie?