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WHEN TANK ENTERED THE room with Blackwell, he grabbed a chair by the door that led to Alex’s bedroom and pulled it up next to Blackwell’s chair as she sat down.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Like I can help my husband. But first let me ask you this—how is Lisa?”
“Worried sick about you.”
“Where is she?”
“Overseeing Alexa and Daniella.”
“And how is that going?”
“They’re behaving.”
“Well, that’s a surprise.”
“They’re very concerned about you.”
“I think that each of them did a lot of growing up during our two weeks on that island, so I’m glad to hear that they’ve fallen in line—especially Daniella.”
“They all want to see you.”
“They can after this. I especially want to see Lisa—but this first.” I looked at Blackwell. “Where is Alex now?”
“Speaking with Ann via Skype in the conference room.”
“How far away is the conference room?”
“Just two rooms over, and the doors are closed.”
“Then let’s not take long.” I turned to Tank. “I know that Alex is concerned about me, which is why I want to keep this between us for now. When the time is right, I’ll tell him everything. This isn’t about secrets between me and my husband. It’s about him not worrying about me while I do what I need to do. Does that make sense?”
“It would make sense if I knew what you want to do,” Tank said.
“Stephen Rowe is now the CEO of Wenn Enterprises. He’s also chairman of the board.”
“So I heard.”
“He’s now had a day to absorb the fact that all of us are alive. And I bet he’s not too happy to find out that we are. Especially me—the one who threatened to expose the truth about his affair with Janice Jones. Because, if I could prove it, I doubt it would go over well with his wife, let alone with the board at Wenn. The thing is, Rowe is no fool. He thought I was dead, but now he knows differently. And because he dared to go after my husband’s positions at Wenn and actually won them, he knows for a fact that I will come after him for it—and fast. So I don’t think I’m imagining anything when I say that Rowe is probably in the process of covering his tracks. Does that sound fair to you, Tank?”
“I would imagine that he’s scrambling to do just that.”
“To make Janice Jones disappear?”
“What do you mean by ‘disappear’?”
“Depends on how Rowe handles her. Let’s just hope for her sake it’s not with any kind of force.”
“Regardless of what he has in mind, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that he’s in the midst of getting rid of Jones as we speak. He certainly won’t want her there when we land in New York. As you said, he’s no fool. He knows what’s coming. And he’ll do everything in his power to conceal his relationship with her.”
“Which is why I need you to stop him before he can. Can you do that?”
“A lot can happen in twenty-four hours, Jennifer. He could have sent her to Europe at this point. Or to California. Maybe Mexico. Or he could have done something worse. But what do I know? I don’t know what their relationship is like, I don’t know Rowe, and I don’t know what he’s capable of.”
“You said you learned about Jones because you’re friends with Rowe’s chief of security.”
“That’s right.”
“Have you been in contact with him?”
“Not yet.”
“Then I need you to be. When I was on that dance floor with Rowe, I bluffed about having photographs of him and Jones entering their favorite no-tell hotel in Times Square. If I challenge him—which I plan to do—I need to leave no question in anyone’s mind that he did indeed have a two-year affair with a stripper. You said that he bought her an apartment. I need to know if that apartment is in her name or his. If it’s in his, his wife, Meredith, likely doesn’t know about it, though she’ll certainly question why he bought it without telling her. The problem is that the presence of a mere apartment won’t be enough to bring him down. So, here’s what I need from you—I need proof of their affair. Can you do that?”
“I can try.”
“Here’s my bet—on some level, Rowe already has severed ties with Jones. But how has he done so? That’s the question. Has she been forced out of her apartment? Is she now out on her own? Or is he taking a softer approach so she won’t retaliate against him?”
“Maybe he bought her off.”
“He could have, but even if he did, Rowe doesn’t have the kind of financial war chest Alex has. Find her, let me know when you do, and I’ll come through with a check large enough to get her to talk to us.”
“To what end? Few will take a former stripper seriously, particularly if word leaks that you cut her a check.”
“I understand that, which is why I want to talk with her first. Don’t you see, Tank? Any woman in love with a man—and I can guarantee you that on some level Jones still loves Rowe, regardless of how he’s handled her—would have photographs of them together. Emails. Voice messages on her phone. And then there’s that diner in the Village that they’ve frequented. What’s it called? Molly’s Diner? If they were together for two years, surely someone on the staff would remember them as regulars. And what did those people witness between them? A happy couple having dinner? A couple in love? If they did come to know the staff, did they go by aliases? If that’s the case, it won’t bode well for Rowe. Beyond that, the mere fact that he was there so often with her would be difficult to explain away. And then there’s her apartment complex—does it have doorman service? If it does, what do they know? And are they willing to talk? What I’m charging you with is difficult—I understand that. But we have to help Alex. We all need to fight for him because Rowe essentially has stolen Wenn away from him. I won’t have it. None of us should. We need to find Janice Jones, we need to find out if the apartment Rowe gave her is listed in her name or in his, and then we need to make an airtight case for the board, the media, and Rowe’s own wife. We need to show that Stephen Rowe is not the man he pretends to be. He’s unfaithful. He’s a liar. And he’s married to Meredith, who was born into one of America’s most influential families. Her family is considered American royalty, for God’s sake. Our burden is to show to her, the board, and then the world exactly who her husband is. And once we have concrete evidence of that, then we can use the press to take that motherfucker down.”
* * *
WHEN TANK LEFT THE room, I asked Barbara to stay.
“How long before we can get back to New York?” I asked.
“Do I need to remind you that you just went through surgery?”
“It was hardly life-threatening. The bullet cut clean through me, and they sewed me up. Before long, I’ll be as good as new.”
“Your surgery was a bit more invasive than that.”
“Not by much. We need to get back to Wenn.”
“Your husband is tending to Wenn as we speak.”
“Using Skype isn’t like being there in person, Barbara. Alex needs to face every board member himself and try to reason with them. We might not even have to go after Rowe if they agree to another vote that will bring Alex back as CEO and the board’s chair. But the longer we wait on this, the bleaker our odds are of making that happen.”
“Jennifer, the doctor is unlikely to release you for at least another two days.”
“So, I’m a prisoner? Give me the paperwork that absolves the hospital of any legal ramifications of letting me go early, and I’ll sign it so we can get back in the air.”
“Alex won’t allow it. You’re his main concern.”
“Then we’ll compromise. Wenn can send a plane to collect all of us. One of Wenn Air’s 757s. We’ll hire a doctor and a nurse to assist me on the flight back to the States. Part of the plane can be sectioned off and used as something of a hospital room. Certainly, that should put everyone’s mind at rest when it comes to my health. As for Cutter, we’ll have his family flown in on that plane. I’m sure they want to be here with him anyway. We’ll fly them in at once, and we’ll put them in a five-star hotel that’s close to the hospital. Then, they can be with him until it’s safe for him to come back home to us.”
“Your stitches are so fresh, there’s a chance that the cabin pressure might be too much for them to take at this point,” she said.
“We don’t know that.”
She moved to speak, but then her shoulders slumped, and she just held up her hand, as if in a gesture of peace. “I can already see that you’re going to be impossible about this, so I’ll inquire as to whether it can be done. If it can, I’ll talk to Alex about it with the doctor. But if it can’t, you’re just going to have to sit in that bed until it’s safe for you to leave it. There are people here who love you, including me. There are people who are worried about you, especially me because I know where your head is right now better than anyone else, including your husband. If Alex knew what you were thinking, or how much rage and guilt you’re carrying inside of you, he’d crack. I know you want to leave here in an effort to focus on something else in ways that will help you and your husband. But I’ll say it again, Jennifer. If you don’t absorb your loss, I’m here to tell you it’s only going to eat you alive in the end. Do you understand me?”
“I want out of this hospital, Barbara.”
“And I want you to understand that it’s not all about you or what you want.”
My eyes widened at her sharp tone.
“Look, I get it, OK?” she said. “I understand where all of this is coming from. But you need to stop. Tank is probably already on the phone with Rowe’s security chief. Alex is still in the conference room coming to terms with where Wenn is now, and likely formulating his own ideas about how to get his company back. Your job is to rest.”
We locked eyes for several moments, and then I just took a breath. “I’m sorry I’m being such a bitch,” I said.
“Apparently, you can give even me a run for my money. But running at one hundred miles per hour isn’t going to fix what really needs to be fixed. You and I have talked about that. But, as close as we may be, we’re not as close as you and Lisa. So, I’m going to get your best friend for you, and you two are going to talk while I go to the doctor and see if getting you out of here early is an option. If it isn’t, I’m going to expect you to be on your best behavior. For your husband’s sanity. All right?”
“I could probably use Lisa right now.”
“I thought you could. She’ll be in in a few seconds. Now, here—give me a kiss. That’s right. And Jesus do you need a mint.”
“Hilarious.”
“Don’t ever underestimate the power of humor,” she said. “The alternative is always worse.”
And then Blackwell swept out of the room as only Blackwell could.
