Page 69 of Defending Love
Running my palm over Dani’s legs, I squeezed. “I tried to get you out of my heart and mind many times over the last year. I’ve given up.”
Dani sat forward, reaching for my hand. “You haven’t been here long, but it feels like you never left.”
I lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “What should we order?”
“Mexican.”
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
Dani
* * *
Eli offered to clean up our containers after dinner. While he did that, I made my way back to my office. Sitting at my desk, I reopened the email with Preston Ayers’s CV. The research notes that I assumed were from Dr. Olsen were dated 2015. According to Preston’s CV, he wasn’t employed by Indianapolis University until early 2018.
I tried to establish a timeline. The university website had a list of past and present deans. Preston took over after an interim dean, a Ralph Phillips. Prior to Phillips, Eric Olsen was the dean of research.
A quick check to be sure Eli wasn’t near, and I called my brother. Damien answered on the second ring. “Dani.”
“I have a quick question for you.”
“Shoot.”
Watching the doorway, I leaned back against my soft chair. “I’m looking into Preston Ayers. Didn’t the original research for Propanolol come from Indianapolis University?”
“Yes. We acquired the early research in ’18.”
“We paid the university for the research?”
Damien cleared his throat. “The university had completely shut down their research. I’d already made our interest known. They hadn’t gotten a patent. It was simply intellectual property.”
“Who did we pay?”
“What difference does this make?” he asked.
“Ayers was the dean of research in ’18.”
“He wasn’t in on the original research. It was shut down before he was appointed dean.”
“It still seems odd that he now wants on our executive board.” I had more questions. “Did Dad pay someone off for the formula? Was David Carpenter in on it?”
“David believed in what his father-in-law created. The market was wide open. David needed the funding and facilities to conduct further research and development. The university had no intention of continuing what it had started. Sinclair provided David with the means to complete the research and development.” Damien took a breath. “Jack Webb mentioned that you got into Dad’s safe. What did you find?”
“You were in it after Dad was shot.”
“That entire week is a blur. You’re right. Stephen and I got into it to find Dad’s insurance policies. We didn’t go through everything. I figured you and I would do that with Mom. Fuck, at that point, we weren’t sure she’d make it.”
“I’m sorry. I should have waited for you. It was after Eli and I discovered the journals missing from his desk that I wanted to find out if things were missing from the safe.” I grinned. “Grandma’s necklace was in there.”
“The one Sharlene wanted?”
“Yeah. Mom should sell it if money is an issue.”
Yes, I was fishing.
“No, it meant more to Dad since it was his mother’s. Why would money be an issue? It can keep collecting dust. What journals were missing?”
