Chapter Sixteen

“My source says there’s more to the inheritance. They’re asking for more money in exchange for the information.”

“You can’t force it out of them?” Fury welled. This idiot was the only link they had to the Winslow fortune. It was crucial to have more information.

“You told me to stay friendly, remember? You didn’t want any blow back,” the idiot added as a reminder.

“That’s true. I’m still inclined to keep this neat.” The dramatic pause was meant to scare the little creature, and it was working. “I don’t care what it costs. If we get all the details of the will, we’ll know where we stand. For now, you stick close to your source and give them what they want. But, remember, you don’t get anything if this information doesn’t pan out. I can make you disappear.”

“That isn’t right,” he whined. “You came to me. I didn’t ask for this!”

“You didn’t ask for it, but that won’t matter to the police. One anonymous tip, and you’re in jail. Do as you’re told.” The fear in the little bug’s eyes was exciting.

“I’ve done everything you asked. It isn’t my fault my source wants more money.”

“Then give them more. But the well isn’t an eternal spring. I’m sure you can be convincing.”

He nodded, fully drenched in sweat now. “What are you doing while I’m off in seedy back alleys?”

“Making sure Beverly is taken care of.”

“You said you weren’t going to kill her.”

“I’m not. I don’t want her to die. I want her to fail. I want the world to see her failure. And then I want to watch it all crumble around her. The bomb didn’t scare her off as I’d hoped. So now we deal with her as the heir. If that doesn’t work, my end game is the same. Beverly Winslow will be eliminated one way or another, and there is nothing you can do about it.”

****

The rhythmic whir of the helicopter sounded different than the last time. Perhaps it was because Finn was with her and she’d been terrified of the impending board meeting. Now, things were more normal. Somewhat more normal, she thought wryly. If normal meant flying to her mansion to meet her staff and view her new weekend home.

No. Nothing would really be normal again.

Her phone signaled an incoming e-mail, demanding her attention. She sighed. Ms. Garrett had given her a leather messenger bag the day of the board meeting. It contained two smart phones, one tablet, and a laptop. One of the phones was for personal use only. The other was strictly business.

That one was monitored, so if Winslow Holdings was ever subject to an SEC investigation, they could hand over the phone with no worries of anything incriminating. Ms. Garrett had been clear. She was never to use her business phone for personal calls. Since Ms. Garrett was one of the scariest women she had ever met, she planned to obey.

She looked at the e-mail. Someone from Purchasing wanted to meet with her next week in regard to a salmon hatchery in Alaska. She forwarded it to Ms. Garrett and asked for her to add it to her schedule. She looked over the last fiscal year report on her new tablet when her mother tapped her leg and broke through her concentration.

“You’re not listening, Bevie. I thought you wanted my help.”

She dropped her phone in her lap. “I’m sorry, Ma. You’re right. I’m just trying to play catch-up on the financials. These phones won’t stop dinging every ten seconds, and I’m hoping not to make a fool of myself.” She gave her mother a grin. “What were you saying?”

“I was talking about Finn Callahan. He’s a very handsome man.”

“So you’ve mentioned every day for the last three days, Ma.” Bev, annoyed with herself more than her mother, tried to change the topic as she had done every time Reggie brought him up. “What do you think of the helicopter? It’s a little over the top, don’t you think?”

“Nonsense. It’s efficient,” Reggie folded her hands. “Which makes me wonder your problem with it. You don’t have time to drive everywhere anymore. But even with limited time to drive, you should stop every once in a while, and look up from those electronics. It’s beautiful today.”

They were in the middle of a flight up the coast of Maine. It was indeed a gorgeous day. She definitely would have loved the drive. Unfortunately, since meeting her security team, she’d been given few choices in the matter. Worse yet, Finn Callahan had left her side only twenty minutes after the security team had arrived.

He told her he’d helped choose the security team, and they were the best. He’d also told her he wanted to do a little digging into the matter of the explosion himself and would be in touch. Then, no contact for three days. It had to be some kind of game.

Of course, logic told her, Finn needed to move on; he had a thriving law practice and other clients. But she missed him. Dammit. Logic didn’t seem to apply to her feelings. She hated when she didn’t make sense. Her mother drew her attention from her crazy thoughts.

“I didn’t realize the security people would be with you everywhere,” her mother said. “It’s smart. Finn thought of everything, didn’t he?”

“Here we go again.” Bev prayed for patience. “Ma, stop. You might as well canonize the man for how you talk about him. He does have faults.”

“None that are glaring. He’s called me every day to check on you. It’s sweet.”

“He called you but not me? Why?”

“Sweetheart, I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but you can be a bit prickly when you’re in a mood. It didn’t seem you’d be interested in talking to him. He called to see if you were resting. He’s working with his friend at the FBI to help figure out who bombed the office. It gives me comfort he’s looking out for you.”

“I can look out for myself,” Bev raged and tossed the phones on the seat beside hers.

“True enough, honey, but there’s a lot on your plate right now. Your problem is you don’t take help when it’s offered, and you’re scared of that man.”

“What?” She snorted. “I’m not scared of anyone, least of all him. He’s a softie.” Bev attempted to laugh it off. “You are just too much of a romantic.”

“I am a romantic, but that doesn’t change facts. Doing for yourself all the time wears a person out. A partner in life, the right partner, can make a huge difference. And, yes, you are afraid of that man.” Her mother tucked a fall of auburn hair behind her ear and faced her fully on the bench seat of the helicopter. “Or maybe you’re afraid of becoming like me if you let a man into your heart.” She was about to protest, but quieted when her mother took her hand. “My mistakes were mine, and I’ve paid for them. There’s no reason for you to pay, too.”

“That’s not what I’m doing.” She squeezed her mother’s hand. “Maybe I’m not interested in that kind of life. I don’t need a partner.”

“You’d be dead not to be interested in that man, Bevie. And, by the way, he might be a softie for you, but he is one man I wouldn’t cross. Something tells me he can be ferocious under the right circumstances.”

Her mind immediately went to the kiss they’d shared on the boat. She agreed with her mother: there was more to the lawyer than she knew. Unwilling to discuss it any further, she changed the subject. “Speaking of men, you didn’t tell me about your vacation with Joe.”

“Nice try, little girl, but that’s my business.”

“But my love life is up for discussion any time?”

“I think this falls under the heading of ‘I’m your mother, that’s why.’ So, yes, you’re my baby, and if I think you’re hurting or lonely, I will say something.” Reggie kissed her cheek. “I just want you to be happy.”

“I’m not entirely sure that’s possible, given my current state.” She couldn’t meet her mother’s gaze. “I don’t know what I’m doing. This is a farce.”

“Don’t be so dramatic. It isn’t your style.”

“Ma, I’m responsible for a billion-dollar company, I’m about to go see my twenty-five-thousand-square-foot mansion, I own buildings and boats and even a plane. I can’t wrap my brain around needing any of it. And on Monday I go to work and pray I don’t screw it all up. I think a little drama might be called for here. I feel like an imposter.”

“You’ll be fine.”

“You’re vastly overestimating my talents.”

“No, I’m not. Now stop worrying about something you can’t change and look out the window. It’s beautiful up here.” Reggie sighed, and Bev, realizing she hadn’t thought about her mother’s feelings, asked, “Are you OK with all this? You haven’t seen the house since he kicked you out.”

“I’m fine. I demanded you take me along to show you I can handle all this. I’m stronger than you think.” Reggie sighed again. “I have missed the horses. I always felt so free on the back of a horse.”

This side of her mother—the woman who had grown up with massive wealth and privilege was a mystery. She couldn’t fathom how her mother ended up so unspoiled by it all. She had met Serena only once, but by all accounts, she and her sister were polar opposites in disposition and perspective.

It was amazing Reggie was able to do what she did when her father disowned her. While there were some bumps, she never had to worry where her next meal came from or if she’d have a place to sleep. Her mother had taken care of the basics. While it might have been nice to have her mother more emotionally present for her childhood, she was grateful she had her now. She just hoped Reggie could handle seeing it all again.

“You never talk about growing up here.”

“I don’t talk about it because you think I’m going to break down every time I mention my father or my family.”

She rolled her eyes. “That isn’t entirely true, Ma. My reasons for worrying aren’t all about your grief. These people are pit vipers.”

“That isn’t true. Give them a chance.”

“They didn’t give me a chance the last twenty-eight years.”

“Their loss, sweetie. You might want to talk to someone. My therapist would probably say you have abandonment issues.”

“Your therapist would be wrong.” She was not about to be analyzed by her mother. She turned the topic back to Reggie’s childhood.

“So, if you aren’t going to break down, let’s talk about it. What was it like growing up a Winslow?”

“Hmmm, nice change of subject, but I’ll let it go for now.” Reggie looked out the window toward the sea. “It was wonderful, really. You don’t know you’re any different until you go out into the world, and even then, people treat you like a princess. As a child, I didn’t know enough to be wary of the attention. Your father took care of that naïveté. But let’s not talk about him.” She rushed on. “I had chores from my nannies and lectures from my father, and a lot of it was what you would call normal. Reginald was not a warm man. They say he never got over losing my mother. I never knew her; she died when I was a baby. But even that was normal. Families deal with heartbreak all the time.”

“What wasn’t normal?”

“Oh, the usual…horses and chauffeurs and diamond tiaras.”

Bev laughed. “I can’t picture you in a tiara.”

“Oh, not for me, for Serena. She desperately needed one for her sixteenth birthday and threw a tantrum until our father got it for her. He did her a disservice by indulging her.”

“But he didn’t indulge you?”

“He did in his own way, but my demands were different from Serena’s. I wanted him at my horse shows, or I tried to get him to talk to me about school or politics. I tried to do things I knew would please him so he’d pay attention to me. I call it the ‘dad dance.’ I was tripping over myself, trying to make him love me. He was too busy, so he threw money or presents at me. It didn’t fill.”

“It doesn’t.” Bev gestured to the interior of the helicopter they sat in. “But some people keep trying.”

Reggie laughed. “It helps, though. I’m wise enough to realize what money can and can’t do. In his twisted way, my father helped me see that. The best thing that ever happened to me was you, sweetie. The second best was Reginald kicking me out. It took me a long while, but I learned how to be okay. Now you’ll have what I couldn’t give you, and you won’t have to work yourself to death like he did. Try to learn from his mistakes.”

“If I ever have a child, I won’t give him or her a diamond tiara for their sixteenth birthday. I promise.”

“I'm serious, young lady. There’s huge opportunity to make positive changes for yourself and the Winslow name. Think about all the good you could do.”

“I hadn’t thought of it from that perspective, and shame on me. Maybe I can put Reginald’s money to good use. Even if I can’t give it away outright, it’s still mine to control. I could figure something out.”

“It’s your money now.”

Bev didn’t love that idea. She worried her father would be back. She worried her mother would fall down the rabbit hole of the Winslow family. Bev worried she wouldn’t ever get her own life back. She had the money to blame for all of it.

“I’ll think about the potential. And thanks, Ma, for sharing all that with me. I didn’t realize how healthy you are about all this. You seem fine.”

“It’s about time you noticed.”

“I noticed. But I’m still allowed to worry.” All Bev had was hope Serena and her mother wouldn’t see each other. Hopefully it wouldn’t be a problem if her mother was busy at Atlantic Charters. She smiled at her mother and said, “Now let’s put this aside, and you can tell me all about this crumbling anachronism we are about to see. I still can’t believe I own the monstrosity.”

“It’s lovely. You’ll never want to leave.”

Her mother was wrong about that.