Blind Faith (4 page)

Kelly shook her head. "I'd rather say that I find it difficult to believe. The whole thing is just too bizarre."

"But what about the burned body in room 116?" Cecily asked.

Kelly shrugged. "It could be anyone's--maybe even a plant."

"So you do suspect some kind of foul play?" Ward asked.

"Frankly, Ward, I don't know what to think at this time. According to Detective Quinn, most people who stay at the
Encantado
don't use their real names. The fact that Jonathan did, not only proves to me that he wasn't there to buy drugs, but that he may have been set up."

"I don't know.
Yet."

Cecily let out an impatient sigh. "Finding out if Jonathan was involved in drug trafficking could take a long time. The news could also leak to the press, which is why I intend to talk to Detective Quinn myself, right away. Kelly, you have his number?"

"No, Aunt Cecily."
Victoria
's voice was just as firm. If there was one thing she had learned over the years, it was to stand up to her strong-willed aunt. "I don't want you to do anything that will antagonize Detective Quinn. We're going to need him."

"But darling, we have to protect ourselves."

"That's the last of my worries. My first priority is to find Jonathan."

"What about Phoebe? Shouldn't she be your first priority? Can you imagine what the publicity will do to her?"

"Don't worry about Phoebe,"
Victoria
said. "I'll take care of her."

Cecily turned to her husband. "Ward, say some thing."

Ward gave a helpless shrug. "What do you want me to say? I don't relish dealing with the press any more than you do. But this isn't about us.
 
It's about Jonathan.
Victoria
is right. Finding him should be our number-one priority."

Cecily was too smart not to know when she was outnumbered. She gave a short nod and turned to
Victoria
.
"All right, darling.
What do you want me to do?"

"Stand by me,"
Victoria
said simply. "And above all, keep an open mind about Jonathan."

Ward smiled but made no comment. Instead, he directed his next question

to
Victoria
.
"How do you propose to find Jonathan, dear?
If you need the

services
of a private detective--"

"No private detective," Victoria cut in.

"Then how will you find your husband?"

"I've asked Kelly."

"Kelly?" Her name was spoken in unison as two sets of eyes turned toward her. "I thought Detective Quinn had made it clear you should stay out of his way," Cecily pointed out.

Kelly smiled. "That doesn't mean I have to listen."

This time it was Ward who sounded skeptical. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful," he said, sugarcoating his words with perfected diplomacy.

"You're a top-notch journalist, and it's very generous of you to offer your time and expertise, but you're still recuperating from a very serious injury. Are you sure you're up to this?"

"I wouldn't have agreed if I thought I wasn't."

"Still, I would never forgive myself if something happened to you."

"Neither would I," Cecily echoed.

Kelly looked from one to the other. Why did she have the feeling they didn't want her involved? And not for the reason they had stated.

"Nothing will happen to me," she assured them.

"Very well then.
Just be careful, will you? And let me know if there's anything Cecily and I can do to help." Ward stood up and looked at his niece. "Why don't you go pack a few things and come home with us, Victoria? You shouldn't stay here alone."

"That's sweet of you to offer, Uncle Ward, but I'd rather be home in case Jonathan calls. And I don't want to alert Phoebe that something is wrong."

Ward, too practical to argue, nodded. "I hadn't thought of that."

As he went to kiss
Victoria
goodbye, Cecily, her coat on her shoulders, approached Kelly. "Please don't do anything," she whispered. "And don't talk to anyone until you talk to me."

Startled by the intensity in Cecily's voice, Kelly raised an eyebrow.

"I'll explain everything when I see you. Can you be at my office at eight o'clock?"

Kelly thought of the eight hours of sleep she so desperately needed. Now she'd have to settle for just a couple. "Yes, of course."

"I'll see you then."

At exactly eight o'clock that same morning, Kelly was ushered into Cecily's office, high above the
Ben Franklin Parkway
. Looking elegant and businesslike, Cecily pointed at a chair across from her desk.

"Forgive me for asking you to come here so early, Kelly. I know you were up all night with
Victoria
, but this is important."

The phone rang, interrupting their conversation. With an impatient sigh, Cecily picked it up. "Debra, I thought I told you I didn't want to be-Oh.
All right.
Put him through." She covered the mouthpiece with her hand. "I have to take this. It's the mayor. I'll only be a moment."

"Do you want me to leave?" Kelly asked, half rising from her chair.

Cecily shook her head no, and removed her hand. "Mr. Mayor. What a pleasant surprise."

Tuning out the conversation, Kelly looked around her at the spacious, tastefully appointed office, so much a reflection of its occupant. A rosewood desk stood in the center of the room, and in front of a large window, overlooking the Parkway, deep chairs and antique tables formed an attractive, informal grouping. Expensive reproductions of old masters paintings dotted the walls, mingling beautifully with the polished wood and the deeply carved molding.

Kelly's gaze drifted back to Cecily, who was still on the phone, laughing at something the mayor had said and rolling her eyes at the same time.

What a diplomat, Kelly thought with a fond smile.
And what an extraordinary woman.
She had come from nothing, fought for everything and got where she was through sheer guts and hard work. Ambitious and driven, she had been the first in her family to finish college, earning a B.A. in business management from
Penn
State
and an M. B.A. in finance from
Whar
ton. Two weeks after graduating from the famous business school, Cecily had landed a job at a prestigious investment banking firm where the owner, a philanthropist by the name of H.B. Norton, had taken her under his wing and taught her everything he knew.

In 1985, thanks to her mentor, Cecily became the first woman to be offered a seat on the board of the Norton Charitable Trust, the foundation H.
B.'s
father had established four decades earlier. It wasn't long until Cecily's intelligence, fairness and impeccable work ethic singled her out from the rest of the board. But when H.B. retired as CEO and president of the Norton Trust twelve years later and named Cecily as his successor, the decision had taken everyone, including Cecily, by surprise. Cecily herself had told Kelly about the outcry of protest from several board members, many of whom were related to H.B.

One member, a nephew, had even claimed that a woman CEO would undermine the foundation. At that remark, H.B. had laughed and told him to grow up.

At last Cecily's conversation was over. "I'm sorry about that," she said as she hung up. "We won't be bothered again." She propped her elbows on the gleaming desk surface and
steepled
her fingers into a pyramid. "You must wonder why I asked you to come here at such an ungodly hour."

"Quite frankly," Kelly replied, "I'm more concerned about the secrecy of this meeting than the early hour. I don't like to keep things from
Victoria
."

Cecily's gaze, though direct, seemed a little tentative. "I'm sorry if I've put you in a delicate situation, Kelly. It's just that I didn't want to upset
Victoria
any more than she already is."

"
Touche
." Her eyes met Kelly's head-on. "Let me come straight to the point, then. I think the search for Jonathan should be left to the
Miami
police." So that was it. Cecily wanted her to back off. Though surprised at the conviction in Cecily's voice, Kelly didn't show it. She had made a promise to
Victoria
, and nothing, no pleading, no amount of coaxing would convince her to do otherwise. "May I ask why you feel that way?" Kelly kept her tone even and calm.

"I didn't want to alarm
Victoria
last night, but I'm going to be completely honest with you. You're a high-profile journalist, Kelly. No matter how discreet you are, if you get involved in the search for Jonathan, someone is bound to find out. And once they do, the news of his disappearance and his connection with a drug cartel will be all over the papers."

Kelly stared. "You actually believe Jonathan is a drug dealer?"

"What other reason would he have for staying at that dreadful motel?"

"We don't know that he was!"

Cecily made a face as if she had suddenly smelled something foul. "He works for a man who has ties to organized crime, Kelly. What does that tell you?"

"Those ties were never proven," Kelly pointed out, "or the Casino Control Commission wouldn't have granted
Syd
Webber his license. But even if he did have such ties, secretly, why would you assume that Jonathan does?"

Cecily brought her hands down and gazed at them. For the first time since Kelly had arrived, she noticed the woman's unhealthy pallor. Was she really that concerned about a possible scandal? About the Sanders name being tarnished? It was true that her position as CEO of the Norton Trust demanded an impeccable background and not the slightest hint of scandal, but would the board of directors actually blame her for the actions of a relative? Kelly didn't think so. There had to be another reason why Cecily was so overwrought.

Kelly wanted to reach out to her. She wanted to tell her that whatever was troubling her, Kelly would listen. Maybe together they could find a solution to this puzzling problem. Kelly owed her that much. During those difficult twenty-four hours while she had so desperately clung to life, Cecily had sat outside the I. C.U with Connie and Kelly's brother, Ronny, for hours at a time, bringing them food, coffee and moral support. Kelly hadn't forgotten that.

Clearly irritated, Cecily gave her an exasperated look. "Why are you assuming that I'm hiding some deep dark secret? I'm not. I asked you here because you have a lot of influence on
Victoria
and I was hoping you'd help me get her to see things my way."

"Logical." She leaned forward as if ready to explain a difficult problem to a child. "There are three possible explanations why Jonathan disappeared. One is that he did something stupid, will realize it in time and will come home before the press has time to find out about it.

I won't be happy about his return, but if that's what
Victoria
wants, fine. The second possible explanation is that Jonathan did something stupid and has no intention of coming back. To that I say good riddance.
 
I never wanted him married to
Victoria
in the first place, and by his actions, he's proven that I had good reason to feel that way.

If he chooses not to come back, a brief statement will be issued to the press regarding Jonathan and Victoria's separation and that will be the end of it."

She sighed. "The third possibility isn't so pleasant, for
Victoria
or for the Sanders family. Jonathan did something stupid and paid for it with his life. In the event this proves to be true, we'll need to keep the circumstances of his death quiet--at least from the
Philadelphia
papers. That won't happen if you insist on investigating his disappearance and eventually his death." She gave Kelly a long, level look. "Are we in agreement?"

Everything had been thought out in minute detail, Kelly realized. Every possibility Cecily had mentioned had been carefully analyzed and weighed in relation to potential damage, not to
Victoria
, but to the Sanders name.

"Only as far as the three possibilities regarding Jonathan's fate.
I don't agree with anything else you said and I certainly don't intend to back down from my commitment to
Victoria
."