Page 15 of Dead and a Best Friend
Oliver leaned forward in his lovely black leather chair and stared at me, looking slightly annoyed. I didn't blame him. I'd be mad at me, too.
My cheeks heated, and I fidgeted. "I'm a terrible friend." I burst into tears.
Oliver shot to his feet, moved over, and sat beside me with his arm around my shoulders. I buried my face in his shoulder to hide my tears.
"Pull yourself together, Tallulah!"
I pulled back and accepted the tissues he offered me.
"This is about Penelope, isn't it?" Oliver said. “Let me guess. She found the money, said 'fuck you' to Aiden, and got rid of the money somehow?"
I stared at the man in astonishment.
“Please don’t arrest her. She didn't know it would land her in trouble. I have the money. I'm going to withdraw it and give it to you. Then you can report that Penelope found it in the rim of her spare tire."
"Oh God!"
"It's not that bad. Please, Oliver. She spent it because she was angry and upset at what Aiden had done.”
"Don't get upset. As long as you have some money to hand over, we'll pretend this conversation didn't happen."
I threw myself into his arms and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you so much."
Oliver helped me back into the seat and asked, "How much did she find? I can't imagine Pen spending two million dollars in such a short time."
"Well..." I told him everything Pen had told me, hoping she wouldn't be mad at me for breaking her trust. "So, you, see? Either Aiden hid the two million in different places, or Angel made up the figure he's looking for.”
"Or Aiden took the rest and left Pen to take the fall for it all."
"Oh, that could explain why it was in her car." I pondered that. "That bastard set her up!" I shot to my feet.
"That's what I'm thinking," he said, nodding grimly. He stood and reached out, holding my arms. "You have to stay away from Carlisle and Jessop for now, okay? Angel worked for them in the past."
“They know him!" I narrowed my eyes, annoyed that Carlisle always ended up involved in whatever was going on. It had to stop, and I would tell him so. "Let me talk to Aiden."
"I'm not putting you in the same room as that man.”
"Come on, Oliver. Please. You know he loves to gloat. At least let me try."
"Fine, what the hell. You might as well, because he isn't talking to anyone else." He squeezed my arms and then let go. "Come on. Aiden and Jane are in a holding cell downstairs. You don't know that, though. Okay?"
“What about Trevor?”
“Nashville. Aiden kept him in line with fear.” Oliver shrugged. “You knew that though.”
“I did. He wrote to me.” I shook my head and smiled. "I could talk to Jane while I'm at it."
He shook his head and snickered under his breath.
The cells werenice and modern, painted a pale blue. Regardless of the decor, though, I wouldn't want to be stuck down here. The lack of natural light and fresh air would drive me crazy, not to mention the confined space. However, the fact that surveillance covered every square inch of the facility did put me at ease. However, I would say my belly fluttered with nerves. I didn't know what I was going to say. I prayed for wisdom.
"Because they are high-profile prisoners, they are in one of the private cells in the back of the facility. They are under constant surveillance to ensure their safety and ours. There are bars between you and them. Don't get within reaching distance."
My nerves ate away at me as I got closer. "You'll be right outside the door, right?"
"I promise to stay right outside. The door won't be locked, so come out the moment you need to."
"Okay."
