“Amelia, we pulled your phone calls today to make sure there weren’t going to be any extra surprises.”
Her eyes widened, and she visibly swallowed, recapping her water bottle.
“Then you know?”
“I know you talked to the media, Dexter, and Johnny McIntire, so I have to ask; what is your relationship with Petunia’s ex-security guard?”
“Johnny was constantly around. At one point early in Dexter’s and my relationship, I thought Dexter was cheating on me, and I was right.”
“So, what? You did the same for revenge?”
“God no,” she whispered. “Johnny was there for me. I was an emotional wreck when he brought me the proof about Dexter. One thing led to another, and we had an affair, but we were discreet. We tried to keep things away from home, although Johnny liked to corner me and kiss me. Most of the time we met at Carter’s cabin by the lake on Johnny’s days off.”
“So, was it you he was kissing when I snuck into Petunia’s room?”
“No. After I confronted Dexter, we worked through our issues. Well…or so I’d thought.” Amelia rose and walked to the window to stare outside.
She opened a desk drawer and pulled out a file. She sighed before handing it to me. “Johnny sent me those two weeks ago. He warned me that a cheater never changes their stripes. He begged me to call off the wedding. He claimed he loved me, but what we had wasn’t love…”
“It was just the thrill of the affair for you. Just sex?” I asked.
A blush crept up on her cheeks. “How did you know?”
“We’re both women,” I said, flipping through the photos of pictures taken outside a window. A man that looked like Dexter and a blonde woman were semi-undressed. His hand on her breast as they embraced in a kiss. There was a lot of heat in those pictures. Although something looked off that I couldn’t pinpoint. “And why did he call you today?”
“He wanted me to meet him at the lake house in an hour. He said he had something important to tell me.”
“And what was your answer?”
“I ended things with him. I told him I loved Dex, that I was going to come clean about our affair and give Dex the same opportunity to tell me about her.” Amelia pointed to the photos. “I just prayed we could work things out.”
Sympathy for the woman kept me momentarily speechless. That was going to be one of the hardest conversations of her life. “How did Johnny take it?”
“He was devastated and then angry. He begged me to come to my senses and to see that he was the right man for me.”
I rested my hand on Amelia’s arm. “I know this is hard, but I’m going to need to talk to him. He might have something to do with why the threats are aimed at Petunia and you, and not Dexter. He knows how to pull your heartstrings.”
Amelia covered her hand with her mouth. “Oh God.”
“I’ve got this,” I said, grabbing the file of pictures and heading toward the door. “Amelia, I need you to sit tight and stay off your phone until I talk to Johnny.”
I pulled open the door to find Max and Rose in the hallway. I handed the file to Rose. “I need to know everything about those pictures, including whether they’re doctored. Send them to Delany and tell them I need them rushed.”
“You’ve got it.”
“And keep Amelia off the phone until you hear from me.”
“That’s not going to be easy,” Rose said.
“I don’t care if you have to use a jamming signal on the entire house. No calls in or out for her.”
“Understood.”
I headed toward the front door, and Max followed. “Where to?”
That was going to be a tricky conversation. “I’ll tell you on the way, but only if you can control yourself.”
He nodded, and we climbed into my car. “Start talking.”
