Page 81 of Made For You
He continued to walk back and forth, his hands fisting and unclenching at his side. If ever there was a man that looked suspicious, it was my uncle. “Let’s get this over with,” Gigi said as she placed her fist on the table, her bracelets jangling loudly in the process.
“Yes, Mrs. Wilder,” the doctor sitting at the head of the table said. His white jacket was crisp and clean, and I wondered if he wore it just for show. “The toxicology reports came back with lethal levels of arsenic in your husband’s system.”
The room fell silent, and I pulled my attention from the doctor to glance over at Gigi, who was looking closely at the investigators in the room.
“Ma’am?” one of them asked when they noticed she was watching them.
“Is there anything to add regarding these findings? Perhaps an anonymous tip you received this morning? One similar to what I received?”
What?This was all news to me, and I was curious about the information Gigi held on to.
“Yes, ma’am. Something more substantial than a tip, in reality,” he replied before standing to address the group. “This morning, our department received a package, with the list of items as follows. Photos from a private investigator showingCharles Wilder Sr. entering a hardware store the day before his father-in-law James Wilder’s death. A receipt obtained from the manager of the store, showing a purchase of weed killer containing arsenic made with Charles’s credit card. A thumb drive with the store’s security footage of Charles making said purchase. And finally, a long-range but high-definition image of Charles in his car, pouring the weed killer into a flask while still parked outside the hardware store.
“With this information in conjunction with the toxicology report, Charles Wilder Sr. will be placed under arrest for the murder of James Wilder.”
My uncle stood in the corner, his self-assured, smug smile fading away with each piece of incriminating evidence that was read off. The moment an officer stepped forward with the cuffs open, my uncle dashed toward the door. Unfortunately for him, he was stopped by more policemen in his attempt to escape. While the group scuffled with my uncle, I maneuvered Gigi out of the way so she wouldn’t be caught in the middle. In the corner, my cousins were still captivated by their phones. I wasn’t sure if they were even aware of what was going on, or that their dad was being arrested.
“Are you okay, Gigi?” I whispered as I crouched beside my grandmother’s chair. I couldn’t imagine being in her position. She just lost her husband, and her son-in-law was being arrested for his homicide.
“I’ve had better days.”
“What can I do to make it better?” My grandmother lifted her shoulders, looking frailer than I’d ever seen her. It was rare she was ever speechless. Trying to get her to open up, I asked if she knew who might have left the anonymous tip she received. A little bit of color came back to her features as a small, knowing smile lifted her lips for the first time since we left her house, but those lips stayed zipped.
I was ninety-nine percent sure Dean was the culprit. He had the means to hire a private investigator to keep an eye on anyone and everyone, especially if it meant it would help Gigi or me. And the more I thought about it, the more it made sense Dean would’ve put constant eyes on my uncle after the threats he made in Nashville—which Dean would’ve done with or without his investment in the lodge. He was just that good of a friend.
As the room started emptying out, I realized I wasn’t needed in Miami any longer, and an idea occurred to me.
“Hey, Gigi. How would you like to come back with me to Ashfield?” When I voiced the idea, it sounded even better. I knew Gigi and Betsy would hit it off. And Aurora’s family would accept Gigi as if she was part of their family. In a way, she was, even if only temporarily.
“Oh, sweetheart,” she said as we made our way out of the room and toward the front of the office building. “My home is here.”
“Well, what if it’s just for a visit? I’m sure I can get you a room at the bed-and-breakfast Aurora’s sister, Autumn, and her husband run.”
Gigi paused with her hand on my arm. “She’s the one married to Colton Crawford?” Her eyes shimmered in excitement.
Smirking, I said, “That’s the one.”
“Well, now, I may have to take you up on the offer.”
I loved that she wanted to go for the hockey star and not her grandson. I told her as much, and she brushed it aside as a joke the way only Gigi could.
“It’s perfect timing. The lodge is close to being finished,” I added to sweeten the deal.
“And Idowant to spend more time with that sweet wife of yours,” Gigi stated.
“Okay then, so let’s get you home, and we can get the housekeeper to help you pack some bags.”
After dropping Gigi off and promising to pick her up in a few hours so we could catch a flight to Tennessee, I grew more and more excited, anticipating getting to see Aurora by the day’s end. Quickly making a list of things I needed to bring home with me, I stopped by the office to grab my computer.
Only to find security fighting with Olive in the lobby of the hotel. She was causing a scene that drew several guests out from their rooms. Many had their phones held up, recording the incident.
I tried to calm the situation, explaining to her but loud enough for everyone to hear that fraternizing with her superior wasn’t allowed by company policy. I feared many would assume that her relationship mentioned was with me—which would look extra bad since I was already linked to Allison—but hopefully they had sense enough to know she would’ve been able to sue me if that were the case, so I obviously wouldn’t be firing her under that policy.
I had no desire to release the images of the two women with my uncle—as proof that I wasn’t the superior Olive was fraternizing with—but that didn’t mean someone else wouldn’t leak them to the press. I might have had Dean work his magic to make the footage he showed me disappear from its origin, but there was no guarantee some random patron of the sex club hadn’t recognized my uncle and snapped photos themselves.
“Fuck you, Talon Beckett!” she shouted, as security worked to move her toward the front door of the building. She kicked and screamed with each step. “Your biggest mistake ever!” was the last thing I heard her screech before the police arrived to escort her out of the hotel.
In my office, I wondered about her threat, in addition to Allison’s threat this past summer. I messaged my lawyer andbrought him up to speed with Olive’s firing and her parting words. He was well-versed in the drama my uncle currently found himself in. So, when I disclosed to him the evidence showing my previous assistant, my uncle, and my ex-fling were together, he started putting restraining order documents in place, since we agreed the probability of retaliation was high.
