Page 33 of Defending Love

Chapter Thirty-Two

Dani

M om didn’t answer the first or second time I called. Eli gave me Jack’s number. He answered right away, telling me that Mom was in physical therapy, but he’d have her call once she was done.

The entire conversation with Damien and Eli played continuously through my thoughts. Every time we made a discovery, something about it felt off. How in the world could Carol Webster be involved in planting a forged letter in Dad’s safe? Why?

My next call was to Stephen Elliott. He answered on the third ring.

“Dani, what an unexpected pleasure. What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to thank you for checking on Mom. She’s lonely. Your call was nice.”

“I was going to call you about that.”

“What?” I asked.

“As you know, the Sinclair executive board will be meeting tomorrow. I checked in with Marsha to find out if she planned to vote via Zoom or proxy. She told me that you were her proxy.”

“I am. Damien and I share her POA, too.”

Stephen’s voice lowered. “I hope you’ve spoken to Marsha about Preston Ayers.”

The small hairs on the back of my neck came to attention. “I called her a little while ago to discuss him, and she is in therapy.”

“Well, she’s in favor,” Stephen said. “Preston and Derek went way back. Preston was in our fraternity at Purdue.”

“I didn’t realize that.”

“Oh yes. He has a great resume.”

“I read his CV,” I said. “Thank you for that. My question is why didn’t Dad like him?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Preston was never nominated for the board in the past when Dad was alive. I mean, if he’s such a great candidate, why wasn’t his name mentioned when Gloria resigned and Phillip was voted in?”

“I’m sure Preston was mentioned. You know he has a lot of obligations. Yes, I’m sure Derek and I spoke about him. It just wasn’t the right time. Damien agrees.”

“Damien and I spoke today.” I paused. “Stephen, did Dad…” I wasn’t sure how to phrase my question. “…was there a deal that Dad made with Preston Ayers regarding Propanolol?”

“What would make you ask that?”

“You were the head of Sinclair’s legal department at the time. It seems to me that if a deal was made, you would have been involved.”

“Propanolol has turned Sinclair around. There was the scientist…David Carter, I believe. He came to Derek. No, Damien found him. Preston wasn’t part of the university when the primary research was conducted.”

“You mentioned to me that you saw the journals in Dad’s desk drawer.”

“Yes,” he replied. “I was looking for a copy of his old will.”

“That’s what you said. Are you sure it was the drawer where you looked or Dad’s safe?”

“I couldn’t access the safe.”

“Damien could.”

“I suppose so. We weren’t all thinking straight. I hope you get ahold of Marsha and talk to her about Preston. I know she’d want you to vote her proxy for him.”

“Thank you, Stephen. I need to go.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow at the meeting. Good night, Dani.”

I disconnected the call.

Stephen acted like he didn’t have access to the safe, but Damien said he did, that they explored it together. I could talk to Eli, but if I did, he would go back to suspecting Damien. I wanted with all my heart to believe my brother.

Reaching for another of Dad’s journals, I leaned back in my desk chair and began flipping through the pages of formulas.

A loose page floated to my lap. Picking it up, I read what I believed to be my father’s handwriting.

The text was dated a year ago in the spring.

That was around the time of his heart attack.

Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop.

No one will read this. I’m not writing it for it to be read.

I’m writing to calm myself. I figured out who Carol Webster is.

Webster was her second husband’s name. She’s Carol Carpenter, David Carpenter’s mother.

I can’t tell Marsha. She wouldn’t understand.

Explaining it all to her would break her heart and I refuse to do that.

It wasn’t until Carol was in my office and she saw the photo of Sinclair Pharmaceuticals that I realized she knew the connection.

It was her comment in passing that made me worried.

She mentioned her grandchildren. The name coincidence was too strong.

I called the only one who knew what happened, Phen. He’s never let me down.

He told me to play dumb.

How would I know a scientist who worked during my final years before retirement.

Sinclair employs hundreds of people. Besides, there’s no proof that David’s illness was a result of his work for us.

He’d been working for years with his father-in-law.

Indianapolis University could easily be responsible.

That’s how I procured Olsen’s work, allowing David to continue the research. When Preston Ayers tried to stop our continuation of the research, I threatened him. I told him that if the research didn’t continue, David would go public with the safety exposure he’d experienced.

It would ruin their research department. They’d lose funding and endure a long investigation. Hell, it was on shaky ground already with the disappearances of their scientists.

My blood pressure is down.

I needed to get that off my chest.

Hell, we paid David to keep us out of his story. We paid money we didn’t have. It was worth it. Sinclair is stronger than ever. I saved it and I’d do it again.

My hands shook as I laid the page on the desk.

With shaky knees, I made my way across the hallway to Eli.

He looked up, concern showing in his green orbs. “What’s the matter?”

“I found something.”

“Fuck, you look pale.” He rushed to me, wrapping me in his arms.

“My dad,” I said as tears punctuated my words. “He…come look.”

Eli held my hand as we went back to my office.

I lifted the piece of paper. “This fell out of one of the journals. Dad must have hidden it there. The date is a few days before his heart attack. I think this was the catalyst that caused it, the stress.” I leaned against my desk and handed him the small piece of paper.

His eyes widened as he read. Once he was done, he met my gaze. “I’d just confirmed her first husband’s last name. I hadn’t put it together with your David.”

“Damien didn’t have Dad killed. Stephen did.”

“Why do you say that?”

“In that note, he said he called Phen. That’s the name Mom said Dad called Stephen ever since college. Stephen would have known that Carol was David’s mother. He used her to help plant that fake note.”

“What does Stephen gain from your father’s death?”

“I want to ask him.”