Page 75 of Bubbles at the Beach House Hotel

“No, I have my own financial advisor and don’t use anyone else. It’s best that way. I trust him completely.”

“I wonder if this is what was bothering Will. Rhonda had to go home. I told her I’d come as soon as I could. Hopefully, I’ll find out more information. Talk to you later.” I ended the call and gathered my things. I’d talk to Bernie first, and then I’d go see Rhonda.

###

When I drove up toRhonda’s house, I noticed that Will’s car was not in its usual place in the driveway beside Rhonda’s gray Mercedes.

When I knocked on the door, Rita answered it. “Come in, Annie. Rhonda’s waiting for you upstairs in the sitting area. I’ll bring coffee.”

“Thank you. How is she?”

Rita shook her head. “She’s crying hard.”

I raced upstairs. Rhonda was a softie who didn’t hide her feelings, but she didn’t cry often. It must be bad.

When I walked into the sitting area, Rhonda was staring out the window, wiping her face with a tissue.

“Rhonda, I’m here,” I said softly.

She turned and got to her feet.

I stepped forward and embraced her, feeling her shoulders shake.

“It’s going to be all right, whatever it is,” I said. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“Everything is messed up. Neither Angela nor Reggie will take my call. Will told me not to go to their house and that I was to stay out of it.”

“What is going on? Tell me what you know.”

“Like you, I know Arthur got arrested. Will told me it was insider trading.”

“And Angela and Reggie?”

“Reggie thinks Will told the authorities about it. And he told Angela she’s not to talk to either one of us until it was proven otherwise.” Rhonda dabbed at her eyes and drew a deep, shaky breath. “Angela and I have never not spoken to one another, even through difficult times.”

“Maybe there are legal implications in conversing with them,” I said, handing her a fresh tissue from a box nearby.

“That’s what I have to believe,” said Rhonda. “You know how competitive Will and Arthur have been. Truthfully, Arthur loved to brag about his big New York City clients and all the connections he had. It bugged Will no end.”

“I’ve always thought Arthur was jealous of the relationship that Will and Reggie have,” I said.

“I’m sure that’s part of it. But now, Reggie is turning against Will, saying he believes Arthur and that the person who notified the SEC was Will.”

“That doesn’t sound like Will,” I said. “If he thought something was wrong, he’d say so to Arthur’s face.”

“I think that’s what Will has been hiding for the past few months.” Rhonda clapped a hand to her chest. “My God! He almost died from a heart attack, keeping the suspicions to himself. Wait until I tell Angela that.”

I put my hand on her shoulder. “Remember, you can’t talk to Angela until things get straightened out.”

Rhonda nodded. “I need to talk to Will. Will you come to the office with me?”

“Yes,” I said. Will wasn’t supposed to be under any undue stress. This was the worst—having his reputation and his business possibly ruined by something out of his control.

###

Rhonda and I enteredthe office of Grayson and Smythe to find it quiet. We didn’t see Reggie anywhere, and we found Will closed away in his office. He looked up through the glass partition of his office wall and stared at us.

I waited outside while Rhonda hurried to Will and put her arms around him. After a few minutes, Rhonda gestured to me to come inside the office.