Part 22 (2/2)

Blade nodded. ”All right.”

Alex opened his notepad. ”First, Tyrell Graham.”

Sam's gaze sharpened. ”And just what is good old Tyrell doing these days?” she asked.

Alex met her eyes. ”Nothing. The man is dead. He was shot by his girlfriend last year and she's presently serving time for it. She caught him cheating and blew him away.”

Sam flinched upon hearing about Graham's death. Although she thought he was sc.u.m, she felt bad about it.

”And I think we can scratch LaSalle off the list, as well. In fact I'm pretty sure of it,” Alex said.

Luke, who had heard the story about Belton LaSalle from Mac, asked, ”Why is he off the list?”

”Because he hasn't lived in the United States since his probation ended. He found religion and moved to Africa to work as a missionary,” Alex responded.

Sam leaned forward, clearly astonished. ”You've got got to be kidding me.” to be kidding me.”

Alex shook his head and tried hiding his smile. ”Trust me, I'm not.”

”Wow.”

”And as far as Guy Carrington is concerned, he is practicing law at a firm in Miami and has a nice place on the beach. He's a happy-go-lucky bachelor, although he's paying out the yin yang in child support.”

Blade had been quiet, listening to what Alex was saying. ”If all those people have pretty much been eliminated, then who's remaining?” he asked.

Alex met Sam's gaze, and hesitated. ”I've narrowed it down to one person who is our prime suspect right now.”

Sam swallowed and pulled in a deep breath. She felt Blade's arms tighten around her. ”And who is he, Alex?”

The room got quiet as Alex leaned forward in his chair and held Sam's gaze. ”I know you're going to find this hard to believe, Sam, but all my evidence points to Frederick Rowe.”

For a moment Sam just stared back at Alex and then she stood. ”That's impossible. There has to be a mistake. I don't believe it. I refuse to believe it. And I hope you have a good reason for saying something like that!”

Everyone could tell how upset Sam was. Anyone who knew her for any length of time knew she didn't do anything halfway, whether it was seeking revenge, settling a score, defending a client or choosing her friends. Rowe was a friend she trusted, and she refused to believe the worst about him.

Alex flipped a page in the notepad, then glanced over at Sam. ”These are my reasons for making him the prime suspect. Maybe there is an explanation, but until we know what that is, he heads the list.”

Drawing in a deep breath, she went back to sit on the arm of the chair beside Blade. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her waist.

”First of all,” Alex said, ”were you aware that over the past three months Rowe has come to Oklahoma City at least a dozen times?”

Sam blinked. No, she hadn't known that. Why would FDR come to town without contacting her, or not even stay at her place? ”No, I didn't know,” she said honestly. ”But maybe he has business interests here that he's keeping private,” she added in his defense.

Alex shrugged. ”Possibly. And did you know he's in town now and has been since the beginning of the week?”

Sam pulled away from Blade to stand up again. Surprise was etched all over her face. ”FDR is here? In Oklahoma City?”

Alex nodded. ”Yes. I had someone track him to a hotel last night, where he is staying.”

Sam didn't say anything. She couldn't help wondering what FDR was up to. When she had talked to Angelo earlier in the week, he'd said Frederick had taken a few days off to visit the aunt who'd raised him. She lived in Florida.

Knowing everyone in the room was waiting for her to respond, she said, ”No, I didn't know that, either. My brother mentioned he'd taken some time off to visit a relative in Florida.”

She rubbed her hands down her slacks. She knew those two things alone raised suspicions about FDR, but she still wasn't convinced. ”Still,” she said, ”that doesn't mean anything other than he's keeping his comings and goings a secret for some reason and-”

”And we've discovered the secret,” Alex interrupted. ”It baffled me how your 'secret admirer' knew when you were out of the office, which is the reason flowers weren't delivered that week you went home to New York to visit your parents. Now I believe I know why.”

Needing the comfort of Blade's touch, Sam sat back down on the arm of the chair and he automatically reached out and again wrapped his arms around her waist. ”Why?” she asked.

Alex hesitated for a moment. ”He's having an affair with someone in your office, Sam. And from what I gather, the affair has been going on for about six months now.”

Sam threw her head back and closed her eyes. This was crazy, simply crazy. FDR was having an affair with someone in her office and she didn't know about it? She lowered her head, opened her eyes and looked back at Alex. ”Who is it?”

Alex's gaze was unwavering. ”Your secretary, Priscilla Gaines.”

If Blade's arms hadn't been around Sam's waist, she would have toppled over and literally fallen and hit the floor. Priscilla had been the law firm's secretary since day one, and Sam knew she rarely dated anyone. Not that it mattered, but Priscilla was twelve years older than FDR and she was a single mother raising her twin boys.

Sam glanced around the room and saw the way the men were all looking at her. Alex was right-all of FDR's secrets were incriminating. However, she still refused to believe the worst about him.

”Fine, those things make him a suspect. But there is the one thing that as an attorney I know you haven't presented, and that's a motive.”

Alex leaned back in his chair as he flipped to another page in his notepad. ”I think this would be sufficient motive,” he said, tearing out the sheet and handing it to her.

Sam hesitated, refusing to even look at it as she pa.s.sed it on to Blade. ”What does the paper say? What would have been his motive, Alex?” she asked softly.

Alex took a deep breath. ”Revenge. Does the name Alvin Quincy ring a bell?”

Sam scrunched up her face for a moment and quickly said yes. ”Years ago, when my father was a prosecutor, he sent him to prison. Quincy escaped around six years ago, a little after I moved here. He'd always made threats about getting back at my father, and when he was freed, he went after my brother, Angelo, running him off the road, nearly killing him. Everyone figured he'd come after me or my parents next, which is the reason my family talked me into moving to Windsor Park, for security reasons.”

”Was the man ever captured?” Luke asked.

Sam shook her head. ”Yes, but he swore he would never be taken alive and was killed in a shoot-out when the police tried to apprehend him.”

She glanced over at Alex. ”But what does any of that have to do with FDR?”

Alex closed his notepad. He met her gaze. ”It seems that Frederick Damon Rowe is Alvin Quincy's son.”

Those were the last words Sam heard before everything around her suddenly turned black and she pa.s.sed out.

Chapter 25.

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